Though Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to tackle Long COVID during his HHS confirmation hearings, he has abandoned the plight of Long COVID patients by dismantling federal COVID prevention programs and the research infrastructure invested in researching and treating the condition. So far, RFK Jr. has fired key officials at CDC, created barriers to accessing COVID vaccines, and cut research funding for mRNA and intranasal vaccines, which showed great promise in preventing symptomatic disease. 

U.S. Census figures released on Sept. 9 show that the U.S. has made little progress on poverty and healthcare coverage for children. Though child poverty plummeted in 2021 to 5.2 percent thanks to the passage of the Expanded Child Tax Credit, that rate more than doubled between 2021 and 2023. The new figures show no significant change from 2023 to 2024. Roughly 13.4 percent of all children still lived in poverty, while about 4.7 million total children, or 6.1 percent of children, had no health insurance.

More than 120 prominent Jewish Americans signed a statement released today voicing opposition to the Trump administration’s policy of “disingenuously” using accusations of antisemitism to facilitate attacks on colleges and the detention and deportation of campus activists. The statement reaffirms the signers’ support for free speech and independent scholarship and condemns the “heinous and anti-democratic policies of the Trump administration.”

“The Israeli military on Tuesday ordered the full evacuation of Gaza City, where famine is taking place, as it continues to escalate its offensive with the goal of cleansing the city of its Palestinian population and razing every building to the ground.”Drop Site News reports: “Israel Bombs Hamas Office in Doha, Issues Displacement Order for 1 Million in Gaza City.”

“Three weeks ago, Hamas agreed to a U.S.-Israeli-drafted ceasefire, but its offer was ignored. Now, the movement says it will accept a comprehensive deal in a renewed bid to end the genocide.”

  “The Republic of Türkiye must take action for an immediate ceasefire and urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, by immediately imposing unilateral economic sanctions on Israel, beginning with an immediate withholding of oil. Why has the Government of Türkiye not done this yet?”

“It is imperative that you act immediately to formally request the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to mandate the deployment of a multilateral protection force in Gaza, pursuant to a ‘Uniting for Peace’ resolution secured in an Emergency Special Session. This force should have a specific mandate to protect civilians, facilitate aid distribution throughout Gaza, secure evidence of Israeli crimes, and assist in reconstruction. As you are aware, member states of the United Nations will need a formal invitation from the State of Palestine in order to proceed with the deployment of such forces to Gaza.”

“This initial phase of the legal action involves filing a historic legal complaint against the U.S. government with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IAHCR), the official human rights body in the Western Hemisphere established by the Organization of American States (OAS). This is the only legal complaint in the world that directly takes on the U.S. government — including the Biden and Trump Administrations, and Congress — for its role in the genocide.”

“The member nations of the UNGA have the power and obligation to stop the genocide, given that the Security Council has repeatedly failed to do so because of the US veto. Using mechanisms available to them, in particular the Uniting for Peace Resolution and non-recognition of Israel’s credentials, the state members of the General Assembly could act immediately to end the genocide within a month.”

According to the Science and Community Impacts Mapping Project (SCIMaP), the White House FY 2026 budget proposal cuts NIH research funding by $18 billion compared to FY 2024. The budget cuts are projected to lead to widespread economic and job losses in counties across the country. Upwards of 200,000 high-quality jobs in medical research are disappearing and going abroad, writes data analyst Joshua Weitz, “for no reason other than [that] Project 2025 [and] HHS leadership want to dismantle world-class NIH funded research in communities nationwide.”