Rebecca C Christofferson
@rchristo.bsky.social
Virologist/epi. Jazz, 🐈, puns. Oxford comma for evah. Views mine alone and do not represent any organizational affiliations. RT/like != endorse. I stand w Ukraine. Twitter: RC_Epi
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows
The figures do not include arrests made by Border Patrol, which has launched aggressive immigration operations in several cities in recent months.
www.nbcnews.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:19 AM
ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
So, to all the "RFK's got some good ideas" folks (Rachael Bedard, Leana Wen) and Jay Bhattacharya is "an excellent choice for NIH" (Steven Macedo, Frances Lee) and Vinay Prasad "will bring a breath of fresh air to FDA" (Adam Cifu, John Mandrola) groupies--you own this now too.
I think the *speed* at which RFK Jr and his Great Barrington Declaration/anti-vaxx/Brownstone wrecking crew have been dismantling the US public health system has been really astonishing
Well, Senators Bill Cassidy and Thom Tillis, you wanted RFK Jr. to “go wild” at HHS.
Congratulations. You’ve achieved your goal. He is well on his way to completely destroying the US vaccine program.
Congratulations. You’ve achieved your goal. He is well on his way to completely destroying the US vaccine program.
December 7, 2025 at 11:15 AM
So, to all the "RFK's got some good ideas" folks (Rachael Bedard, Leana Wen) and Jay Bhattacharya is "an excellent choice for NIH" (Steven Macedo, Frances Lee) and Vinay Prasad "will bring a breath of fresh air to FDA" (Adam Cifu, John Mandrola) groupies--you own this now too.
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
"the very programs best equipped to study the social and ethical implications of AI were being defunded, even as the university promoted the use of OpenAI’s products across campus. This isn’t innovation—it’s institutional auto-cannibalism."
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself
Students use AI to write papers, professors use AI to grade them, degrees become meaningless, and tech companies make fortunes. Welcome to the death of higher education.
www.currentaffairs.org
December 7, 2025 at 3:45 PM
"the very programs best equipped to study the social and ethical implications of AI were being defunded, even as the university promoted the use of OpenAI’s products across campus. This isn’t innovation—it’s institutional auto-cannibalism."
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
It’s weird that news organizations like the BBC are covering this as if it’s a real thing with a real process behind it—and not clearly some nakedly invented “participation trophy” by a corrupt organization to curry favor with a corrupt and easily manipulated man-child. www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
Donald Trump: US president named inaugural Fifa Peace Prize winner
US President Donald Trump receives the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize before the draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
www.bbc.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:23 AM
It’s weird that news organizations like the BBC are covering this as if it’s a real thing with a real process behind it—and not clearly some nakedly invented “participation trophy” by a corrupt organization to curry favor with a corrupt and easily manipulated man-child. www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
Feed cleanse.
My dad (bass), my uncle (drums), and their friend.
My dad (bass), my uncle (drums), and their friend.
December 5, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Feed cleanse.
My dad (bass), my uncle (drums), and their friend.
My dad (bass), my uncle (drums), and their friend.
🤦♀️
🇺🇸 Le président américain Donald Trump a été nommé vendredi premier lauréat du nouveau Prix de la paix de la Fifa, pendant la cérémonie de tirage au sort du Mondial-2026 à Washington.
December 5, 2025 at 5:56 PM
🤦♀️
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade its recommendations to protect infants from hepatitis B is a dangerous move that will harm children.
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
December 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade its recommendations to protect infants from hepatitis B is a dangerous move that will harm children.
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
I know there's a lot of news but if you can tear yourself away from the CDC vaccine committee today — you should really read this series on how the Trump administration has upended science in just 10 months, from my incredibly talented colleagues:
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
American Science, Shattered
An eight-decade partnership between universities and the federal government made U.S. science preeminent. It took Trump less than a year to shred that
www.statnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:48 PM
I know there's a lot of news but if you can tear yourself away from the CDC vaccine committee today — you should really read this series on how the Trump administration has upended science in just 10 months, from my incredibly talented colleagues:
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
Now official policy of the United States:
—Immigration is exclusively harmful
—All nations must “only rarely” grant citizenship to foreigners
—Immigration will “erase” Europe within 20 years and the US must act to prevent that
Read it yourself.
—Immigration is exclusively harmful
—All nations must “only rarely” grant citizenship to foreigners
—Immigration will “erase” Europe within 20 years and the US must act to prevent that
Read it yourself.
A few thoughts on the new US national security strategy that was released today.
🧵
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
🧵
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
December 5, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Now official policy of the United States:
—Immigration is exclusively harmful
—All nations must “only rarely” grant citizenship to foreigners
—Immigration will “erase” Europe within 20 years and the US must act to prevent that
Read it yourself.
—Immigration is exclusively harmful
—All nations must “only rarely” grant citizenship to foreigners
—Immigration will “erase” Europe within 20 years and the US must act to prevent that
Read it yourself.
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
I am begging reporters to heed @jessicacalarco.com's warning here. There is too much equivocation even in articles that highlight RFK Jr's anti-vaccine zealotry. These articles juxtapose a claim he offers, with "other experts say." It is a pernicious tic of mainstream journalism and has to stop.
It's notable that, even in an article critical of RFK Jr., the reporter hedges, saying "There’s no good evidence of serious, widespread harm from the vaccine" rather than just "vaccines are safe." RFK Jr. has made a career of exploiting the ambiguity of the former.
www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-anti-v...
www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-anti-v...
RFK’s Anti-Vax Team Readies Its Next Moves
“Their game is, let’s really destabilize trust in the vaccine, and make people really anxious about it.”
www.thebulwark.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:23 PM
I am begging reporters to heed @jessicacalarco.com's warning here. There is too much equivocation even in articles that highlight RFK Jr's anti-vaccine zealotry. These articles juxtapose a claim he offers, with "other experts say." It is a pernicious tic of mainstream journalism and has to stop.
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
My takeaway from ACIP so far: they have not presented any evidence of harm from the hepatitis B vaccine, yet there are immense benefits.
December 4, 2025 at 3:50 PM
My takeaway from ACIP so far: they have not presented any evidence of harm from the hepatitis B vaccine, yet there are immense benefits.
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
THIS is how you do health journalism—including the highly responsible title that gets immediately to the real story
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
America’s top vaccines official promised, in a long and argumentative memo to staff, to revamp vaccine regulation after claiming 10 children died from Covid vaccines. But Vinay Prasad offered no evidence for that allegation and scant details on the new approach.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Never seen anything like this’: alarm at memo from top US vaccine official
Vinay Prasad memo said at least 10 children had died from Covid vaccination – but offered scant evidence for claim
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:58 PM
THIS is how you do health journalism—including the highly responsible title that gets immediately to the real story
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
"Prosecutors said Mr. Hernández was key to a scheme that lasted more than 20 years and brought more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
December 2, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"Prosecutors said Mr. Hernández was key to a scheme that lasted more than 20 years and brought more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
NEW: Reports of DOGE’s death aren’t highly exaggerated, they’re wrong. Follow @makenakelly.bsky.social and @telliotter.bsky.social on a voyage into the federal agencies where all your favorite young engineers are burrowed in ”like ticks.”
DOGE Isn’t Dead. Here’s What Its Operatives Are Doing Now
Contrary to popular reports, DOGE has “burrowed into the agencies like ticks,” government sources tell WIRED.
www.wired.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:30 AM
NEW: Reports of DOGE’s death aren’t highly exaggerated, they’re wrong. Follow @makenakelly.bsky.social and @telliotter.bsky.social on a voyage into the federal agencies where all your favorite young engineers are burrowed in ”like ticks.”
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
🇭🇰 Animal welfare groups taking care of rescued pets that firefighters saved from a raging fire at a Hong Kong housing estate.
➡️ u.afp.com/Shzu
➡️ u.afp.com/Shzu
December 2, 2025 at 12:20 PM
🇭🇰 Animal welfare groups taking care of rescued pets that firefighters saved from a raging fire at a Hong Kong housing estate.
➡️ u.afp.com/Shzu
➡️ u.afp.com/Shzu
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
Jay Bhattacharya and Matthew Memoli aren't bringing "gold standard science" to the #NIH, they are gutting research slowly but surely. When this time is over, they should be hauled before Congress, and shunned for the rest of their lives. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine (Gift Article)
A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Jay Bhattacharya and Matthew Memoli aren't bringing "gold standard science" to the #NIH, they are gutting research slowly but surely. When this time is over, they should be hauled before Congress, and shunned for the rest of their lives. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The rotation has begun
November 30, 2025 at 8:12 PM
The rotation has begun
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
After the Zika outbreak ended in Brazil, many families faced a new reality: a child whose life was irrevocably altered after the mother contracted the virus while pregnant. Here's what happened next. n.pr/48bOXNK
These Zika mothers went to battle — and their cry was heard
After the Zika outbreak ended in Brazil, many families faced a new reality: a child whose life was irrevocably altered after the mother contracted the virus while pregnant. Here's what happened next.
n.pr
November 30, 2025 at 1:25 AM
After the Zika outbreak ended in Brazil, many families faced a new reality: a child whose life was irrevocably altered after the mother contracted the virus while pregnant. Here's what happened next. n.pr/48bOXNK
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
The Boston Public Health Commission is telling residents “do not visit CDC.gov” for “reliable, trustworthy” information on vaccines. https://www.masslive.com/boston/2025/11/boston-health-officials-do-not-visit-cdcgov-for-vaccine-information.html
Ditto re Maine:
Ditto re Maine:
Boston health officials tell residents not to visit CDC website after change about vaccines, autism
Boston Public Health Commission advises against using CDC as a reliable source after federal agency alters longstanding position on vaccines and autism.
www.masslive.com
November 30, 2025 at 2:58 AM
The Boston Public Health Commission is telling residents “do not visit CDC.gov” for “reliable, trustworthy” information on vaccines. https://www.masslive.com/boston/2025/11/boston-health-officials-do-not-visit-cdcgov-for-vaccine-information.html
Ditto re Maine:
Ditto re Maine:
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
After you read the Prasad memo, read this.
Covid-19 vaccines protect children from severe disease. Here is the evidence
“Over and over again, Covid-19 has shown it can cause severe disease in children, disease that is preventable by a safe and effective vaccine,” writes former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
www.statnews.com
November 30, 2025 at 3:28 AM
After you read the Prasad memo, read this.
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1965: 20-1
CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1990: 75-1
CEO-to-worker pay ratio today: 280-to-1
Trickle-down economics was always a sham.
Nothing has ever trickled down.
CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1990: 75-1
CEO-to-worker pay ratio today: 280-to-1
Trickle-down economics was always a sham.
Nothing has ever trickled down.
November 29, 2025 at 11:01 PM
CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1965: 20-1
CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1990: 75-1
CEO-to-worker pay ratio today: 280-to-1
Trickle-down economics was always a sham.
Nothing has ever trickled down.
CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1990: 75-1
CEO-to-worker pay ratio today: 280-to-1
Trickle-down economics was always a sham.
Nothing has ever trickled down.
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
Superb thread
Finally got around to reading Prasad's actual memo about the purported deaths in children from COVID-19 vaccines, and it's kind of amazing in the worst ways possible.
At one point, he says (regarding rare adverse events):
"Causality is easy to assess in a randomized trial..."
At one point, he says (regarding rare adverse events):
"Causality is easy to assess in a randomized trial..."
November 30, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Superb thread
Reposted by Rebecca C Christofferson
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 10:23 AM
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...