More than 70 million Boomers needing the right kind of medical care

There aren’t enough geriatricians (or home health workers or primary care doctors)

Jerry Gurwitz, UMass Chan Medical School

More than 70 million baby boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – are alive today. In 2026, the oldest of them are turning 80.

With longer lives often comes more complicated health needs: multiple chronic conditions, long lists of medications, balance problems that can increase the risk of falls, and changes in memory. Many older adults also begin relying more on spouses, children or other family members to help manage medical decisions.

Ideally, health care in later life should go beyond just treating individual diseases and medical conditions. It should aim to help older people maintain health, independence and optimal quality of life for as long as possible.

Doctors and nurse practitioners trained in geriatrics specialize in doing exactly that. As a geriatrician for nearly four decades, I’ve seen how the right care for older people can prevent falls, reduce risk of medication side effects and help patients make medical decisions that reflect their goals and wishes.

The problem? There just aren’t enough of us. Finding a health care provider with expertise in geriatrics can be extraordinarily difficult. But there’s good news: You can use a few simple strategies that geriatricians rely on to have more productive conversations with your or your family member’s doctor.

AG details scope of Catholic Church child sexual abuse and cover-ups in RI over decades

Providence Catholic bishop apologizes to victims of clergy sex abuse

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

For more than seven decades, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence concealed the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by over six dozen clergy members, according to a long-awaited report released Wednesday by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. 

A total of 72 deacons and priests faced credible accusations of abuse dating as far back as 1950, the 282-page report states. Only 14 of the men listed are still alive. 

Systemic sexual abuse by New England Catholic clergy was exposed over two decades ago. But the AG’s report, which took nearly seven years to complete, pieces together as complete a picture as possible of what happened in Rhode Island, home to the largest per capita Catholic population in the nation. 

“The numbers are staggering, shocking, astounding,” Neronha told reporters during a more than two-hour press conference at his downtown Providence office. “And we know we didn’t get it all.”

State Police and the AG’s office found at least 315 victims of abuse, most of which occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. The most recent known incident of misconduct cited was in 2011, when the principal of St. Joseph School in West Warwick alleged a deacon who taught in the school “had pulled down the pants of several sixth-grade boys.”

Most accused priests avoided disciplinary action or criminal charges because the diocese would often transfer them to new parishes without warning those congregations — a practice the report called “priest shuffling.” Neronha said 31 Rhode Island priests were transferred at least five times during their careers, promoting a “culture of secrecy.”

“That went on for decades,” Neronha said.

Only 20, or about 26% of the clergy identified in the report, ever faced criminal charges. Just 14 clergy were convicted. 

Neronha’s office has charged four current and former priests with sexual abuse for allegations over the course of the investigation between 2020 and 2022. 

Three of them are still awaiting trial, while the fourth died after being deemed incompetent to stand trial in 2022.

Trump killed The US lost $35B in clean energy projects last year

Lost jobs, lost opportunities

Naveena Sadasivam, Senior Staff Writer

"This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist's weekly newsletter here."

For more than a decade, the clean energy economy has been on a steep growth trajectory. Companies have poured billions of dollars into battery manufacturing, solar and wind generation, and electric vehicle plants in the U.S., as solar costs fell sharply and EV sales surged. That momentum is set to continue surging in much of the world — but in the United States, it’s starting to stall.

According to a new report from the clean energy think tank E2, new investment in clean energy projects last year was dwarfed by a cascade of cancellations for projects already in progress. For every dollar announced in new clean energy projects, companies canceled, closed, or downsized roughly three dollars’ worth. 

In total, at least roughly $35 billion in projects were abandoned last year, compared to just $3.4 billion in cancellations in 2023 and 2024 combined.

Hooray! Daylight savings time is back tonight

Our Führer

Sen. Gu, Rep. Cotter introduce bill to protect Rhode Island’s groundwater reserves

Protect groundwater while expanding affordable housing stock.  

Sen. Victoria Gu and Rep. Megan Cotter have introduced legislation to protect Rhode Island’s groundwater resources from overuse and overdevelopment.

“Some wells and public water systems in parts of Rhode Island are already showing signs of stress. In my own district, some homes in the Quonochontaug Neck neighborhood have seen their wells go dry temporarily during summer droughts, and homeowners in Jamestown have faced failing wells and a public water system that officials are worried is reaching its limits,” said Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown). 

“Especially in coastal neighborhoods that were overbuilt before zoning laws existed, it is important that continued development doesn’t stress groundwater resources beyond their capacity.”

Said Representative Cotter (D-Dist. 39, Exeter, Richmond, Hopkinton), “Rhode Island is in a housing crisis and it’s important for every community to do its part to solve it. However, it would be short-sighted and counterproductive to allow housing development to put at risk the groundwater resources that supply drinking water across the state. This bill will keep affordable housing incentives intact while ensuring that the clean groundwater that keeps Rhode Island green and livable is protected.”

Trump and Bobby Jr. anti-vax policies kill kids

US flu activity still high, with 8 more pediatric deaths

Mary Van Beusekom, MS

Another eight US children were confirmed to have died of influenza infections last week, for a total of 79 this respiratory virus season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in its weekly FluView update today.

The 2024-25 flu season saw a total of 289 child deaths—the most reported in a non-pandemic flu season since the CDC began tracking pediatric flu deaths in 2004. Of the 79 children who died of influenza this season and had known vaccination status, roughly 90% occurred in those who were unvaccinated.

Flu activity remains moderate (11 jurisdictions) to high or very high (25) across the nation, although indicators are stable or trending downward. Only a few eastern states are reporting likely growing case numbers. Health care visits are holding steady for the sixth week in a row, at 4.4%, while clinical lab positivity is at 17.9%, down from 19.8% the week before. 

Influenza A continues to dominate, although it is steadily losing ground to influenza B. Of the 1,354 influenza A(H3N2) viruses that underwent additional genetic characterization, 92.4% have belonged to subclade K, which has mutations that allow it to evade immunity from this season’s flu vaccine formula.

Weekly flu hospitalizations declined slightly, from 14,940 the week before to 13,785. The cumulative flu-related hospitalization rate (73.3 per 100,000 people) is the third highest since the 2010-11 season. Children have the second-highest cumulative hospitalization rate for that age-group since that same season.

So far this season, the CDC has recorded at least 25 million flu-related illnesses, 330,000 hospitalizations, and 20,000 deaths. Flu-related deaths made up 0.8% of all deaths this week.

RSV most severe in infants, preschoolers

In other respiratory virus news, the amount of acute illness causing people to seek health care is moderate. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity, including emergency department visits and hospitalizations among infants and preschoolers, remains high in many areas of the country. RSV test positivity is at 8.6%, and related deaths made up 0.1% of all deaths.

COVID-19 levels are decreasing overall but growing or likely growing in some eastern and southern states, with 4.3% overall test positivity. COVID-19 deaths made up 0.5% of all deaths.

WastewaterSCAN reported high levels of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, RSV, and human metapneumovirus in wastewater last week.

Attorney General Peter Neronha Endorses Foulkes for Governor

Picks Helena Foulkes over Dan McKee

Attorney General Peter Neronha endorsed Helena Buonanno Foulkes for Governor of Rhode Island. 

“Throughout my career, I have had the honor of serving the people of Rhode Island in courtrooms across our state and in executive leadership roles as your Attorney General and United States Attorney. I know what it takes to lead as a public servant. It is without hesitation when I say that Helena Foulkes has what it takes to be our next Governor,” said Attorney General Neronha. 

“I am confident that she will fight for Rhode Islanders, which is something I think is critically important for that Office. Much like my role as a prosecutor, Helena is arguing the case for change, and she has my support.”

“Attorney General Neronha has spent his career fighting every day on behalf of Rhode Islanders and I am incredibly honored to have his support in this race,” said Helena. 

“Peter has been on the frontlines against the Trump administration and has seen firsthand the importance of strong Democratic governors and attorneys general as the last line of defense to protect Rhode Island against reckless federal policies. He understands the leadership this moment demands and I look forward to earning Rhode Islanders’ support in the days and months ahead.”

‘Disgraceful’: What McKee’s remark says about his warped view of primary elections

Our anti-democratic Democratic Governor thinks no one should run against him, changes his name to Donald Trump-McKee

By Philip Eil, Rhode Island Current

The poll mentioned above was taken before
Hasbro decided to move out of Rhode
Island and take Monopoly with them

Gov. Dan McKee said something stunning during a meeting with the North Kingstown Democratic Town Committee. While discussing his primary election challenge from former CVS executive Helena Buonanno Foulkes, he expressed disbelief and anger that Foulkes — or any of his fellow Democrats — would challenge him.

“I’m a sitting Democratic governor elected and I am going to get primaried in my own party,” he said on Feb. 26, according to a recording released by talk radio station WPRO. “After doing all the work that we’ve done, that’s disgraceful. Period.”

The response from Foulkes’s camp was swift and fierce: “We expect this kind of king mentality from President Trump, not from a Democratic governor.”

But McKee’s remarks deserve more than that. 

Because today, at a time when experts warn of the country’s democratic deterioration, the ways our officials talk about democracy are important. And it is noteworthy — and unsettling — that McKee would be so dismissive toward a foundational part of the democratic process that puts power in the hands of voters, not party leaders. 

First, it’s important to note that these comments fit a pattern from the governor. This is the same guy who, after he won his last primary contest against Foulkes in 2022, publicly refused to take a concession phone call from Foulkes and told a staffer to “Hang up on them.” Afterward, he defended the decision, telling WJAR, “Anybody with a brain in their head would not be calling when they’re watching me on TV giving an acceptance speech.”

 It is the same guy who, during his 2025 State of the State address, banned independent TV cameras from the chamber and booked the State House rotunda for the apparent purpose of keeping protestors out of earshot. Rotunda access was mostly restored for this year’s State of the State after a challenge by the ACLU of Rhode Island.

It is the same governor who, in the aftermath of the Washington Bridge shutdown, called reasonable questions about the job status of now retired DOT Director Peter Alviti “out of line” and “beyond the pale.” 

McKee’s “disgraceful” comment is merely the latest indication that the governor takes umbrage at the norms and everyday pushback that come with elected office. 

Always look at the bright side

Me, too

Rep. Spears, Sen. Gu introduce legislation to support mobile community medicine

A common sense approach to home health care 

Tina and Victoria are a great team who deliver for Charlestown

Rep. Tina L. Spears and Sen. Victoria Gu are introducing legislation to establish sustainable funding and reimbursement rates for ambulance services to practice community paramedicine and “treatment in place” programs.

Community paramedicine, or mobile integrated health (MIH), allows emergency medical services agencies to proactively provide preventative care in a patient’s home, help manage chronic conditions, conduct follow-up visits and connect residents with the appropriate local health and social services.

“Treatment in place” refers to when EMS providers treat a patient outside of a hospital for a more minor medical incident that does not require transportation to a hospital for care.

Both approaches reduce health care costs and strain on hospital and EMS resources, but are not currently covered or reimbursed by insurance in Rhode Island.

“Emergency medical service personnel are already providing important community medicine in Rhode Island, preventing emergency room visits and extended hospital stays in the process. Unfortunately, our reimbursement system still follows the outdated payment model that assumes that ambulance services only provide health care services during visits when they transport a patient to the hospital,” said Representative Spears (D-Dist. 36, Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown, Westerly). 

“By reimbursing ambulance services for the actual care they provide when treating patients in place and extending insurance coverage for community paramedicine, we can improve the quality of care patients receive across Rhode Island, especially in rural areas.”

Said Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown), “Community paramedicine is increasingly used in rural communities to bridge critical health care gaps caused by geographic isolation, limited provider availability and transportation barriers. By treating patients where they are and addressing concerns early, we can reduce emergency room visits, lower health care costs, and improve overall outcomes. Strengthening this model supports our EMS providers while keeping residents healthier and safer at home.”

The bill (2026-H 7485, 2026-S 2685) would ensure that health insurance plans reimburse ambulance services at the Medicare rate for the care they provide, whether or not the patient is transported.

A similar version of this bill was introduced last year by House Judiciary Chairwoman Carol Hagan McEntee, who is a cosponsor of this year’s bill in the House. Representative Spears and Senator Gu credit Chairwoman McEntee with bringing this issue to statewide attention.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Cathy and I are really grateful to Charlestown Ambulance and Rescue for all their help. I think it would be wonderful if they were able to provide expanded services with full and fair coverage by Medicare and insurers. It seems to be cost-effective and common sense that they should be able to do more than just transport patients to the hospital.  - Will Collette

Tea can improve your health and longevity, but how you drink it matters

Forget canned and bottled - brew it yourself

Maximum Academic Press

A comprehensive review finds that tea, especially green tea, is strongly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), obesity, diabetes, and several forms of cancer. 

Beyond these well known benefits, tea consumption is also linked to brain protection, reduced muscle loss in older adults, and anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Together, these findings point to tea as a beverage with broad potential to support long-term health. 

At the same time, the review highlights important concerns related to certain modern tea products, particularly bottled and bubble teas, which may include artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and other additives.

Tea is produced from the leaves of Camellia sinensis and has been consumed worldwide for centuries. It was first used mainly for medicinal purposes before becoming a widely enjoyed daily drink. 

Researchers have long been interested in tea because it contains high levels of polyphenols, especially catechins, which are believed to play a key role in its health effects. The review examines tea's influence on multiple health outcomes using evidence from laboratory research as well as human studies. 

While green tea has been studied extensively, much less is known about the health effects of other varieties, including black, oolong, and white tea, particularly when comparing their benefits. The review also considers potential risks tied to additives and contaminants found in some commercially produced tea beverages.

Charlestown is around 25 miles downwind from the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant

Proximity to nuclear power plants associated with increased cancer mortality

By Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

U.S. counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) have higher rates of cancer mortality than those located farther away, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

The study is the first of the 21st century to analyze proximity to NPPs and cancer mortality across all NPPs and every U.S. county. The researchers emphasized that the findings are not enough to establish causality but do highlight the need for further research into nuclear power's health impacts. The research is published in Nature Communications.

Numerous studies on the potential link between NPPs and cancer have been conducted around the world, with conflicting results. In the U.S., these studies have been rare and limited in their scope, focused on a single NPP and its surrounding community.

To expand the evidence base, the researchers conducted a national assessment of NPPs and cancer mortality between 2000 and 2018 using "continuous proximity." They used advanced statistical modeling that captured the cumulative impact of all nearby NPPs, rather than just one. 

The locations and dates of operation of U.S. NPPs—as well as some nearby in Canada—were obtained from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and county-level data on cancer mortality were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The researchers controlled for potential confounders in each county, including educational attainment, median household income, racial composition, average temperature and relative humidity, smoking prevalence, BMI, and proximity to the nearest hospital.

The study found that U.S. counties located closer to nuclear power plants experienced higher cancer mortality rates, even after accounting for socioeconomic, environmental, and health care factors.

The researchers estimated that over the course of the study period, roughly 115,000 cancer deaths across the U.S. (or about 6,400 deaths per year) were attributable to proximity to NPPs. The association was strongest among older adults.

Trump’s election “reforms” are his way of disrupting the 2026 election

A fraudulent approach to a nonexistent problem

Sabrina Haake

The November midterms will hand Trump his ass on a platter, so he is doing everything a fascist can do to stop them.

He reassigned the Director of National Intelligence—statutorily funded to guard Americans from foreign threats—to oversee the seizure of Americans’ confidential voter data in Georgia. 

He issued an executive order, laughable for its breadth, mandating new voter registration and rules nationwide. He is urging Republicans to both gerrymander and “nationalize” federal elections, with growing threats to surround polling places with armed ICE goons. After ICE killed two protesters in Minnesota, he tried to leverage the violence to get his hands on the state’s voter rolls (Nice state you got there).

Where brute force and intimidation won’t work, Trump is pushing the Department of Justice to fight for confidential voter data through the courts.

It’s not going so well.

No, not us, right?

Prosperity like no one have ever seen

Special alert for MAGA dudes

Getting sick from COVID may impair male fertility, but vaccination shows no negative effect

Laine Bergeson

COVID-19 infection may meaningfully affect male reproductive health, while having limited consequences for female fertility or assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes, according to a new umbrella review published this week in Vaccine. In contrast, COVID vaccination showed little impact on fertility in either men or women. 

The review, led by a team at the Department of Reproductive Medical Center at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, assessed the effects of COVID infection and COVID vaccination on fertility and ART outcomes by analyzing data from 14 studies with 40 different fertility and ART outcomes. 

Impaired male fertility persists 3 months after infection

Among men, the data suggests, COVID infection is associated with reductions in semen quality, including lower semen volume and concentration, and total sperm count, viability, and motility. COVID infection was also associated with elevated levels of the hormones estradiol and prolactin in men, though it did not appear to significantly affect testosterone levels. 

These negative fertility outcomes in men persisted after infection. “Notably, even after recovery (over 90 days), sperm concentration and motility remained lower compared to uninfected individuals,” they write. 

New study shows some plant-based diets may raise heart disease risk

When plant foods are ultra-processed, the advantage disappears—and can even backfire

INRAE - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment

Previous studies have indicated that eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods^[1] is linked with a higher likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases. Other research^[2] has found that diets centered on plant-based foods can lower this risk when those foods offer balanced nutrition and are consumed in appropriate proportions.

To explore how nutrition relates to cardiovascular health in more detail, scientists from INRAE, Inserm, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, and Cnam examined more than whether foods came from plant or animal sources. Their assessment also incorporated the nutritional makeup of foods, including factors such as carbohydrate, fat, and antioxidant vitamin and mineral content, along with the level of industrial processing involved.

Universal vaccine to treat colds, flu and COVID developed – and a new study suggests it just might work

Can it get past Bobby Jr. and his anti-vaxxers?

Neil Mabbott, University of Edinburgh

Cocaine seems to be the only thing Bobby Jr.
 wants up is nose

Vaccines have traditionally worked by teaching the immune system to recognise a specific virus or bacterium – in effect, showing it a wanted poster for a single suspect. But what if one vaccine could protect against dozens of different infections at once? Researchers have now developed a potential candidate for such a vaccine, and a new study in mice, published in the journal Science, has given promising results.

What is this new vaccine, and how does it work?

Most vaccines work by introducing the immune system to a specific pathogen – a weakened version of it, or a key protein from its surface – so that the body can recognize and fight it if encountered later.

This vaccine takes a fundamentally different approach. Rather than targeting any one bug, it contains molecules that mimic the signals the body naturally produces when it is under attack from a virus or bacterium. The effect is to put certain immune cells into a prolonged state of high alert, ready to respond rapidly to a wide range of threats, rather than being trained to spot just one.

However, the consequences to dialing up the immune system beyond its normal state won’t be known until human trials are conducted.

Why is it given as a nasal spray rather than an injection?

The nose, throat and lungs are lined with what scientists call mucosal surfaces – the moist tissues that act as the body’s main point of contact with the outside world, and its first barrier against infection. The immune system in these tissues responds more powerfully when a vaccine is delivered directly to them, rather than into a muscle in the arm.

That principle already underlies the routine flu vaccine given to young children in the UK, which comes as a nasal spray. Research has also shown that COVID vaccines can block infection more effectively in animals when delivered this way, rather than by injection. Spraying the new vaccine into the nose allows it to reach immune cells deep in the lungs.

Trump somehow got worse on public health after covid

He's incapable of learning lessons and actively resists it.

Noah Berlatsky

In the Trump administration’s latest assault on public health, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s crankified FDA refused to review the first mRNA flu vaccine developed by Moderna.

The FDA’s official reason was that the trial of the vaccine had been inadequate. But since Moderna had already discussed trial design with officials, this is pretty obviously an excuse meant to provide cover for Kennedy’s longstanding gibbering anti-vax quackery.

This is bad news for Americans who would like to avoid the (sometimes deadly) flu virus. But the implications are much wider than that.

At the end of January, even before the latest RFK-engineered setback, Moderna’s CEO Stéphane Bancel said that the company was planning to pull back on crucial investments in late-stage mRNA vaccine trials.

“You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the US market,” he explained.

What this means is that RFK’s position as Trump’s chief snake-oil death dealer could affect global development of new vaccines for shingles, herpes, and the Epstein-Barr virus, the latter of which has been linked to some cancers.

The Trump administration is a disaster not just for public health in the US, but worldwide. There has been a great deal of discussion of the ways in which Trump’s reckless foreign policy has put global security at risk with his threats to Greenland, Canada, Europe, and general violent unpredictability.

But US abandonment of public health leadership may well be even more consequential. It will quite possibly lead to tens of millions of needless deaths over the next decades.

Leave my tariffs alone!

 

The Don of Justice

MIT scientists find a way to rejuvenate the immune system as we age

It's based on mRNA technology hated by Bobby Kennedy Jr. and defunded by Trump

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

While Trump could benefit, he and Bobby Jr. OPPOSE mRNA 

Researchers used mRNA to turn the liver into a short-term immune factory, reviving T-cell production that normally fades with age. Credit: Shutterstock

As people get older, the immune system often becomes less effective. Populations of T cells shrink, and the remaining cells may respond more slowly to germs. That slowdown can leave older adults more vulnerable to many kinds of infections.

To address this age related decline, scientists from MIT and the Broad Institute developed a method to temporarily reprogram liver cells in a way that strengthens T cell performance. The goal is to make up for the reduced output of the thymus, the organ where T cells normally mature.

In the study, the team used mRNA to deliver three important factors that support T cell survival. With this approach, they were able to rejuvenate the immune systems of mice. Older mice that received the treatment produced larger and more varied T cell populations after vaccination, and they also showed improved responses to cancer immunotherapy.

The researchers say that if this strategy can be adapted for patients, it could help people stay healthier as they age.

"BPA-Free" doesn't mean safe

Scientists question the safety of BPA-free packaging

McGill University

“BPA-free” food packaging may be hiding new risks. A McGill University study found that several BPA substitutes used in grocery price labels can seep into food and interfere with vital processes in human ovarian cells. 

Some triggered unusual fat buildup and disrupted genes linked to cell repair and growth. The results raise concerns that BPA replacements may be just as troubling as the chemical they replaced.

Chemicals used as replacements for bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging may have concerning effects on human ovarian cells, according to researchers at McGill University.

In a new study, scientists analyzed several substances commonly found in price stickers attached to packaged meat, fish, cheese, and fresh produce. Their experiments revealed early warning signs of possible toxicity linked to these chemicals.

The results, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, raise new questions about whether BPA-free packaging is truly safer and whether existing regulations provide enough protection for consumers.

How COVID and H1N1 swept through U.S. cities in just weeks

Trump's denials didn't help

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Public health scientists at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health used advanced computer simulations to trace how the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic spread across the United States. Their results show how quickly respiratory pandemics can expand and why stopping them early is so challenging. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research is the first to directly compare how these two pandemics moved through U.S. metropolitan areas.

Both outbreaks had major consequences in the United States. The 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic led to 274,304 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic has been even more devastating, with 1.2 million confirmed deaths reported so far.

Even though undocumented immigrants can't collect Social Security, SSA plans to give ICE details about beneficiary appointments

ICE terrorism coming to Social Security offices

Jake Johnson

Leaders at the Social Security Administration are reportedly instructing agency employees to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement with information about in-person beneficiary appointments.

Wired reported that the instructions were “recently communicated verbally to workers at certain SSA offices.” 

The outlet quoted an unnamed employee with direct knowledge of the orders who said that “if ICE comes in and asks if someone has an upcoming appointment, we will let them know the date and time.”

Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Social Security benefits, though they do contribute tens of billions of dollars per year to the program through payroll taxes. Noncitizens can qualify for Social Security, but Wired noted that they are “required to appear in person to review continued eligibility of benefits.”

Not many of us live on Wall Street

Priorities

Tanning beds triple melanoma risk, potentially causing broad DNA damage

Study is first to show how tanning beds mutate skin cells far more than ordinary sunlight

By Ben Schamisso

Tanning bed use is tied to almost a threefold increase in melanoma risk, and for the first time, scientists have shown how these devices cause melanoma-linked DNA damage across nearly the entire skin surface, reports a new study led by Northwestern Medicine and University of California, San Francisco.

Melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, kills about 11,000 in the U.S. each year. Despite decades of warnings, the precise biological mechanism behind tanning beds’ cancer risk remained unclear. The indoor tanning industry, which is making a comeback, has used that uncertainty to argue that tanning beds are no more harmful than sunlight.

This new study “irrefutably” challenges those claims by showing how tanning beds, at a molecular level, mutate skin cells far beyond the reach of ordinary sunlight, according to the authors.

“Even in normal skin from indoor tanning patients, areas where there are no moles, we found DNA changes that are precursor mutations that predispose to melanoma,” said study first author Dr. Pedram Gerami, professor of skin cancer research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “That has never been shown before.”

The study was published in Science Advances.

Fake Research Is Flooding Cancer Science, Study Warns

Undermines real science

Always check: who did the research and who funded it

By Queensland University of Technology

The US government is becoming one of the worst
spreaders of stupid "science"

A large-scale analysis of millions of cancer studies has uncovered patterns suggesting that a significant portion of the literature may not be as reliable as it appears.

Researchers have built a machine learning tool that spots signs of mass-produced science, and its first major test suggests the scale could be startling. The system flagged more than 250,000 cancer research papers that may be tied to so-called “paper mills,” groups that churn out manuscripts for sale.

The study was led by QUT researcher Professor Adrian Barnett from the School of Public Health and Social Work and Australian Centre for Health Services and Innovation (AusHSI), working with an international team. Reported in The BMJ, the project reviewed 2.6 million cancer studies published from 1999 to 2024 and looked for repeated writing habits linked to papers that were later withdrawn.

Instead of searching for obvious red flags like duplicated figures or impossible data, the tool focuses on language itself. The researchers found more than 250,000 papers whose writing patterns resembled those seen in articles already retracted for suspected fabrication, suggesting that template-driven writing can leave behind recognizable traces.

New grants for libraries and museums need to align with Trump's vision for America

Grant Guidelines for Libraries and Museums Take “Chilling” Political Turn Under Trump

by Jaimie Seaton for ProPublica

Now required reading

A library in rural Alaska needed help providing free Wi-Fi and getting kids to read. A children’s museum in Washington wanted to expand its Little Science Lab. And a World War I museum in Missouri had a raft of historic documents it needed to digitize. They received funding from a little-known federal agency before the Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to dismantle it last year.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting applications for its 2026 grant cycle. But this time, it has unusually specific criteria.

In cover letters accompanying the applications, the institute said it “particularly welcomes” projects that align with President Donald Trump’s vision for America.

These would include those that foster an appreciation for the country “through uplifting and positive narratives,” the agency writes, citing an executive order that attacks the Smithsonian Institution for its “divisive, race-centered ideology.” (Trump has said the museum focused too much on “how bad slavery was.”) The agency also points to an executive order calling for the end of “the anti-Christian weaponization of government” and one titled Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again.

The solicitation marks a stark departure for the agency, whose guidelines were previously apolitical and focused on merit.

Former agency leaders from both political parties, as well as those of library, historical and museum associations, expressed concern that funded projects could encourage a more constrained or distorted view of American history. Some also feared that by accepting grants, institutions would open themselves up to scrutiny and control, like the administration’s wide-ranging audit of Smithsonian exhibits “to assess tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals.”

Who profits from Trump's newest war?

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner for one

Judd Legum

In private calls over the last several weeks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) reportedly urged President Trump to attack Iran. Iran is a top regional rival of Saudi Arabia, and MBS had become concerned about Iran’s growing military capabilities.

The lobbying campaign achieved success on Saturday, when Trump announced he had begun “major combat operations in Iran.” Trump launched a war even though U.S. intelligence assessed that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States. In June 2025, Trump publicly declared that more limited strikes “completely obliterated Iran’s nuclear capability.”

MBS’s influence with Trump has grown as the Saudi government has invested billions in projects that personally enrich Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Despite the glaring conflicts-of-interest, Trump installed Kushner as a top negotiator with Iranian officials. Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff participated in a mediation session with their Iranian counterparts in Geneva on Thursday, billed as a last-ditch effort to avoid war.

The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the largest investor in Jared Kushner’s private equity fund, Affinity Partners. PIF invested $2 billion in Affinity Partners in 2021, even though the PIF committee that screens investments recommended rejecting Kushner’s proposal, citing “inexperience” and “excessive” fees. The committee’s recommendation was overruled by MBS, who heads PIF’s Board of Directors.

PIF pays Kushner 1.25% of its investment, or $25 million, annually. The Senate Finance Committee estimates that Kushner will be paid $137 million in management fees from PIF by August 2026. Further, in September 2025, PIF, Affinity Partners, and others jointly acquired Electronic Arts, the publisher of iconic video games like The Sims and Madden NFL, for $55 billion. The deal, which is the largest leveraged buyout in history, will likely be very lucrative for Kushner.

After raising billions for the Saudis and other foreign governments, Kushner dismissed concerns about conflicts of interest, pledging he would not be involved in Trump’s second term. 

In February 2024, Axios’ Dan Primack asked Kushner whether his business relationship with foreign governments would make it “very difficult… to do any sort of foreign policy work” moving forward. “I’m an investor now,” Kushner replied. “I served in government, and I think my track record is pretty impeccable. Now I’m a private investor.”

Yet, after Trump took office, Kushner resumed his central role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. In an October 2025 interview on 60 Minutes, Kushner argued that financial conflicts made him and Witkoff more effective. 

“What people call conflicts of interests, Steve and I call experience and trusted relationships that we have throughout the world,” Kushner said.

CNN reported that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE lobbied Trump to strike Iran. Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE has significant financial ties to Kushner and Trump.

The UAE is another major backer of Affinity Partners, directly investing about $200 million with Kushner’s firm. Additional money came via Lunate, a supposedly private Abu Dhabi investment firm that is financed by government money and tied to the UAE’s sovereign wealth funds.

Witkoff is the co-founder of the crypto firm World Liberty Financial (WLF) and retains an 8-figure stake in the company. Trump and his family also own significant pieces of the company. 

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security advisor and head of the country’s largest sovereign wealth fund, purchased 49% of WLF days before Trump’s inauguration. 

Of the $250 million paid up front by the UAE, $187 million was directed to Trump family entities and $31 million to the Witkoff family. In May 2025, MGX, a company controlled by Tahnoon, purchased $2 billion of crypto tokens from WLF.

Following the conclusion of the mediation on Thursday, Kushner and Witkoff “ominously issued no statement,” and the pair was reportedly “disappointed“ by the Iranian negotiating position. After presumably being debriefed by Kushner, Trump said, “we’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating.” According to Trump, it would be “wonderful” if the Iranians “negotiated in … good faith and conscience but they are not getting there so far.”

The new Iran War comes weeks after PIF financed a $7 billion development deal in Saudi Arabia with the Trump Organization. Under the agreement, Dar Global, a developer with close ties to the Saudi government, will build a “Trump-branded hotel and golf course,” along with “500 mansions, priced between $6.7 million and $24 million.” The project is part of Diriyah, a $63 billion development funded entirely by PIF.

When Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May 2025, MBS took him on a tour of Diriyah and showed him a model of the development. According to Jerry Inzerillo, who heads the Diriyah Company, a PIF subsidiary, Trump was “amazed“ with the quality and scale of the project.

Trump maintains full ownership of the Trump Organization and will profit from the deal. Typically, these deals involve the developer paying millions in fees simply to license the Trump name. About 80% of the money will flow directly to Trump, according to Forbes’ reporting on similar deals. (The Trump Organization has been nominally transferred to a trust controlled by his son, Donald Trump Jr. — an arrangement ethics experts have dismissed as meaningless.)

While Trump discussed a potential war with Iran in multiple calls with MBS, he has spent little time justifying the war to the American people. In lieu of a traditional live address from the Oval Office, Trump announced the war in a short, edited video, delivered in a baseball cap and posted on his social network, Truth Social. The video was recorded at his Florida home and private club, Mar-a-Lago. On Saturday night, Trump attended a $1 million-per-plate fundraiser there for the primary pro-Trump Super PAC, MAGA Inc.

After the beginning of hostilities on Saturday, Iran launched attacks on the Saudi capital of Riyadh and numerous targets in the UAE. In response, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying it would “mobilize all its capabilities“ against Iranian aggression, and the UAE warned Iran of “grave consequences.”

By Sunday, the war claimed the lives of three U.S. service members and hundreds of Iranians.

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