With the second Trump presidency looming, experts are concerned about a host of emerging issues in public health, including immunization practices, biomedical research, federal funds, and fears about bird flu. 

“Israel’s abusive repudiation of the very idea of the United Nations, its escalating and lethal violation of countless international norms, its repeated, deadly attacks on UN sanctuaries and peacekeepers justifies its expulsion.”

“President-elect Donald J. Trump has confirmed the incoming administration’s interest in exploring privatization of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Privatization would repudiate the Postal Service’s public service mission. The public postal system exists to serve all, delivering such critical items as medications and lab tests, not to turn a profit. No profit-making company would provide universal service to all corners of the nation on a daily basis. Millions of Americans receive daily deliveries because the Postal Service is not a for-profit company. In fact, such private delivery companies as FedEx and the United Parcel Service (UPS) use the Postal…

“Regardless of who ultimately controls a future government in Damascus, Israel exploited the chaos following Assad’s fall to make sure that Syria does not retain the military capacity to defend itself. And Israel did so with the tacit support of Joe Biden and his administration, who repeated Israel’s argument that it was acting pre-emptively in self-defense against potential threats from Syrian rebels and jihadists. A country invading its neighbor and destroying most of its military within 48 hours would usually be considered an act of aggression under international law. But over the past year, we’ve seen that the international community…

“Imagine for a moment that a magnitude 8 earthquake occurred somewhere in the world, and the Western corporate media refused to use the word ‘earthquake’ in reporting it, instead talking ambiguously of a ‘tectonic incident’ that had caused buildings to collapse and people to die.”

“Based on pure speculation the government claimed Rahman was ideologically motivated and therefore more dangerous than other defendants. If taken to its logical conclusion, it would mean the government believes whistleblowers who act out of the public interest are a greater threat than spies who betray their country for financial gain.” 

“It’s absolutely true that RFK Jr. is an unusual political figure. But it’s also true that he has deep roots in our politics going all the way back to his uncle, John F. Kennedy. The Kennedys have always been present in our political system because mainstream Democrats have tried to recapture the political magic of this charismatic figure who was able, both in life and in death, to capture the affection of a lot of people in both parties. A similar story played out with RFK Sr., who seemed to advance the progressive promise even more. There’s a lot of…

“HTS has every reason to approach the UN Security Council and to charge Israel with aggression, both for Israel’s encroachment on territory of Syria beyond the illegally occupied Golan Heights, and for Israel’s bombing of Syria’s naval fleet and other military sites.”

“We often view street violence as a moral failing deserving punishment; in the corporate world, we often view decisions that cause harm as unfortunate but necessary byproducts of business. But the public’s shocking reaction to Thompson’s shooting suggests that people are interpreting the ruthless tactics of private health insurers as forms of violence akin to street violence, which sharply cuts against how we typically view business malfeasance in the U.S.”

New reporting from ProPublica found that under the incoming Trump administration, regulations to curb formaldehyde are under threat. Formaldehyde is one of the most widespread toxic pollutants and causes more cancer than any other air pollutant. Under President Biden, the Environmental Protection Agency will release its final health assessment of formaldehyde by the end of this month. The EPA is expected to use that assessment for creating new rules that could restrict formaldehyde.