It is a new day for modern medicine in modern America, where we are headed back to the future at warp speed. By now, almost everyone must know about the train wreck at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This followed the inauguration of the current president and the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, along with all the false assurances he gave the senatorial confirmation committee in order to be confirmed. Shame on Senator (Doctor) Bill Cassidy of Louisiana for allowing himself to be repeatedly hoodwinked in exchange for his vote. If you are reading this, Senator, please do not release any more soundbites expressing your “concern” about what your president’s Gesundheitsführer (Health Director) is doing to this once fine organization. This is a moment when you can be a conscientious physician or a loyal MAGA minion, but apparently not both. So either forget that you are a doctor and hush, or put aside your political loyalties for the sake of your patients. In the broader context of public health policy, you have 335 million patients who are depending on you to keep the CMS, the FDA, the NIH, and the CDC from descending into madness.
When I saw the hostile takeover of the CDC, I was reminded of Neil Armstrong’s famous statement from the surface of the moon. I paraphrased it a bit to fit as follows: “One small step for science, one giant leap for shamanism.” I’m not sure how many Americans welcomed this transition (I could not locate an accurate approximation of the number of vaccine resisters, conspiracy theorists, and druids in America).
Obviously, I can’t revisit every event of 2025, so I’ll just choose a few that I believe are particularly poignant. Starting with the first of the new year, I’ll include information from health related NGO’s, the professional literature, the World Health Organization, and so on, which might not make the news here in the U.S. or might be massaged by HHS prior to publication.
Mask policy reviewed (August 2025)
Under our Gesundheitsführer Kennedy, the mask guidelines have changed, as most observers expected. Because Republicans see masks as much a challenge to their personal freedoms as they are a means to protect the vulnerable and infirm members of society, they eschew any suggestion that it would be useful to require universal mask-
ing during times of health emergencies (such as the pandemic). In August, the CDC published updated guidance that reinforces a “layered response,” indicating that there are other strategies besides masks to help prevent the spread of disease (such as handwashing, if you can still find any bottles or dispensers with antibacterial fluid or foam in them). There was also a move to treat COVID as just another respiratory illness, which may be prudent given that there are currently no COVID Variants of Concern (VOC), according to the World Health Organization.
Kimberly-Clark craps as Kennedy raises alarm once again over Tylenol
September 2025
Kimberly-Clark is in the process of acquiring Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol™, and the sale should be completed next spring if all goes well. However, Secretary Kennedy, seeking a scalp to satisfy his supporters, claimed several months ago in a press conference that there was a link between Tylenol and childhood autism. President Trump, hoping to capitalize on a redundant initiative, began his remarks by confusing and misstating the facts, as usual, when he said:
Trump: “. . . effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acet… Well, let’s see how we say that.”
Kennedy: “Acetaminophen.” which is basically commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.
Trump: “So, taking Tylenol is not good. All right, I’ll say it: it’s not good
When the President concluded his remarks, Secretary Kennedy restated the argument that there was an association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and childhood autism. That is a long way, however, from establishing a causal relationship. For example, ice cream sales increase in the same month that drownings do (August), but ice cream does not cause people to drown, nor does witnessing a drowning lead people to purchase ice cream.
This phenomenon is further illustrated in the context of Tylenol™. The trade name Tylenol™ was mentioned 40 times during the press conference, significantly more than the generic term acetaminophen. However, since both refer to the same drug, it appeared as if Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol™, was being unfairly targeted at the expense of the various companies that produce the generic drug. It is unclear what scientific or statistical methods were— or were not— employed. But the outcome resembled a craps shoot, resulting in “snake eyes” for Kenvue and Tylenol™.
Nonetheless, perhaps the last laugh is on Kennedy, as Kenvue’s stock value plunged by thirty percent in the two months following the September 22 press conference. This decline should make the acquisition much cheaper for K-C than initially planned.
Measle cases over the first eleven months of this administration five times more than the four year total during Biden Presidency.
An additional 119 cases of measles during the eleven days since November 29th which as not represented in the chart below pushed the total measle cases this year in the U.S. to more than 1,800 representing 45 different outbreaks. This puts the U.S. on track to lose its coveted elimination status for the first time in decades. According to the Global Center for Health Security:
“The spike in cases comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. downplayed the threat from measles and repeated misleading claims about measles vaccines before the government response.”
Early in his term Secretary Kennedy commented in ways that seemed to appeal to both the immunologists at the CDC and the measle anti-vax people in our society. It reminded me of OJ Simpson’s infamous book If I Did It with the unwritten preface “I did not kill my wife but…”
Reported Cases of Measles in U.S. (Data: CDC)
Note: 2025 levels as of November 29, 2025.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
News
Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) filed articles of impeachment this week against HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. Here is the actual House Resolution, accompanied by an annotated list of charges. The odds of the House of Representatives forming an impeachment committee, let alone voting to impeach Secretary Kennedy, are about as realistic as landing an astronaut on Mars before next Christmas. Nevertheless, she helps her party demonstrate the widespread misfeasance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under his tenure.
More about this as additional news arises or House actions occur.
In my posts about the CDC, I am aware that, at least statistically speaking, there must be a remnant within the HHS of conscientious physicians and researchers committed to the scientific method of eradicating disease, just as there were at least several righteous people left in the cities that God destroyed in Genesis, Chapter 19, and in Germany during the Third Reich. These dedicated public servants have no political ideology that dictates their methodology and findings, and they refuse to bow their knees to the Oval Office. Therefore, I certainly don’t want to paint everyone with the same brush.<br>
More news to follow
