@sherylnyt
Covering health policy & politics for @nytimes. Former Congressional & White House Correspondent (Bush & Obama). Peloton aficionado, amateur painter, mom of 2 awesome young adults. Tips: stolberg@nytimes.com
NEWS: RFK Jr. persuaded "dozens" of medical schools to teach nutrition. Draft curriculum inspired by Casey & Calley Means. Some schools skeptical.
"We said ... teach whatever you want, but you need to teach nutrition.”
w/ @alanblinder & @alicecallahan.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/u...
Someone has laid down an Epstein Walk of Shame in Farragut Square. The stars point toward the White House.
What a read.
I recognize it is behind a paywall, but even non-subscribers can access a limited number of STAT articles per month. For subscribers and non-subscribers alike, I recommend this profile of Stanley Plotkin as one to set aside for a quiet moment, read slowly, and share widely.
From the Dept. of Surprises: Trump's NIH director, Jay Bhattacharya, has received a warm welcome at CDC, where he is acting director.
@apoorva_nyc reports he has "offered to publicly endorse immunizations ... and the measles vaccine in particular"
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/h...
My take on the Casey Means hearing: She played the artful dodger and was mostly unflappable. Shes stuck with the anri-vax stuff, which isn’t her thing. She’s unhappy about glyphosate but couldn’t say so. Her lane is wellness and even Bernie likes that side of her. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/u...
"Boys will be boys" in the Trump administration. Mostly they like to pump iron and parade around shirtless on social media. By the incomparable @katierogersnyt.bsky.social (She wrote about RFK's Kid Rock video, so I didn't have to.)
Now, about that war with Iran....
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/u...
Also, in case anyone missed it, I called Kid Rock “Mr. Rock” on second reference. 😉
. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/u...
Maybe similar. Hope it’s not a reprint. I don’t think that’s allowed. Do you have a link?
Here’s a gift link that will get you past the paywall:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/u...
NEW: Trump has lost the MAHA moms. The glyphosate order was the final straw.
"Women feel like they were lied to." -- Alex Clark
"A betrayal" -- Zen Honeycutt
RFK has escaped the wrath of movement's leaders, if not the rank and file.w/ @hirokotabuchi.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/u...
"A middle finger to every MAHA mom."
Trump put RFK Jr. in a very awkward position last night. He issued an order to ramp up production of glyphosate, citing national defense. MAHA is furious. Kennedy issued a statement backing POTUS @hirokotabuchi.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u...
SCOOP: Jay Bhattacharya, NIH director, will also serve as acting CDC director, per two admin officials, until Trump names a permanent director.
POTUS will nominate Jim O'Neill, who left HHS on Friday, to run National Science Foundation.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/u...
Kennedy says he'll "act on" a petition filed by former FDA chief David Kessler to revoke GRAS status for ingredients in ultraprocessed foods. But he suggests he won't regulate them. "Our job . . . is to have an informed public."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
RFK Jr. is pivoting away from vaccines and toward healthy eating in advance of the mid-terms, per a person familiar with his strategy. "Eat Real Food" is a winning message. Vaccine skepticism is not.
Mike Tyson is on board.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/u...
Bobby Kennedy pulling out all the stops to promote his “Eat Real Food” agenda. “I want to be a hero in this particular field,” Tyson said.
RFK will have Mike Tyson at his “Eat Real Food” event today.
The director of the Mike Tyson Super Bowl ad, Brett Ratner, also directed the Melania film, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He's speaking now at the Heritage Foundation about the importance of "eating real food."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4F4...
Whatever you think of RFK's "Eat Real Food" initiative, this new website is incredibly slick marketing. Note the incorporation of Grok, Musk's AI chatbot.
realfood.gov
A Harvard psychiatrist addresses Kennedy's claim that he "cured schizophrenia" with the keto diet. That is "not accurate," Dr. Christopher Palmer said. But Palmer hopes Kennedy's MAHA movement will help expand access to the treatment.
w/ @ellenbarry.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
Really important work by @bymichellersmith.com @aliswenson.bsky.social
RFK Jr said during his Senate confirmation hearings that his trip to Samoa in 2019 ahead of a devastating measles outbreak had “nothing to do with vaccines." Documents obtained by @us.theguardian.com and @apnews.com undermine that testimony. Details here, by me and @aliswenson.bsky.social ⬇️
Sheryl’s story is excellent.
But there’s more! Population studies have long linked infections during pregnancy to schizophrenia and autism. By preventing infections with flu, COVID or other viruses, vaccines may help prevent schizophrenia and autism, two diseases RFK Jr talks about a lot.
FACT CHECK: RFK Jr. asserted yesterday that a Harvard doctor had "cured schizophrenia using keto diets" -- a completely unfounded claim.
Experts say very preliminary research suggests keto might be helpful. But there is "no credible evidence" of a cure.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/u...
To say I am grief-stricken at the decimation of @washingtonpost would be an understatement. The damage is immeasurable -- to those who lost jobs, to journalism, to the nation's capital, to the world. @ashleyrparker.bsky.social tells it like it is.💔
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
SCOOP: An outspoken critic of Trump who organized the "Bethesda Declaration" is seeking whistleblower protection. NIH program director @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social says the administration retaliated against her by putting her on paid leave. She wants her job back.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
NEW: NIH, dipping into a 25-year-old debate, announces it is closing its human embyonic stem cell lines registry to new submissions. 503 NIH-approved lines exist. No new ones will be added. They're looking for adult cell lines now.
Bill Foege, a legend in public health, died last night. He saved millions of lives. He was unfailingly gracious and generous with his time, helping to educate me as I reported a (still in progress) book. I am honored to share his story. May his memory be a blessing.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
NEWS: An outcry from ethicists has prompted the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau to block RFK Jr's plan for a study that would have withheld Hep B vaccines from infants. Critics called it a modern Tuskegee. @stephanienolen.bsky.social @by-cjewett.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/h...
Stealing isn't innovation. @nytimes.com is supporting a campaign by actors, musicians, songwriters and authors to raise awareness about the theft of intellectual property by AI companies.
www.nytco.com/press/the-ti...
