The Centers for Disease Control's weekly measles report is supposed to be a scientific record, not an opportunity to score political points. But this is the Trump administration, where everything, sadly, including science and health policy, appears to be driven by self-interest, personal grievances, and ideological litmus tests. Why should the current uproar over two measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania last month be any different?

The United States has seen a surge in measles cases this year and last under the Trump administration, numbers not seen since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000. Nationally, 2026 has produced more than 2,900 cases, already surpassing the full-year 2025 total of 2,289.

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Pennsylvania's health department announced last month that two Lancaster County residents — both unvaccinated — died ​from measles. ​They were reportedly the first ​times the disease has killed anyone in the United States in 2026, a year that has already produced more measles cases than the country has seen since the virus was declared eliminated back in 2000. ​Almost 400 people ​have been infected in​ Pennsylvania; 70 have been hospitalized.

Two deaths​ is the number that has run in headlines​ and been cited in press briefing. It is also, almost certainly, a lie of omission — not because anyone is hiding bodies, but because the way America counts measles deaths was never built to capture how measles actually kills.

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The knowledge and infrastructure needed to engineer a pandemic pathogen, once confined to a handful of elite military and civilian research institutions, are quietly becoming more accessible.

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With the NFL pre-season well under way, I can't help thinking about the incremental neurological damage that's being inflicted on the players with each vicious tackle and violent collision. The damage --Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease better known as CTE -- has often been decades in the making.

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Apologies for the outdated affiliation on the version sent previously!

A booming wellness market has formed around peptides—mini-proteins that affect various processes inside the body. They help regulate hunger, blood sugar, inflammation, tissue repair, sleep and hormone release, among other bodily functions. Synthetic versions are sold as injections, pills, nasal sprays and creams. Some, including insulin and GLP-1 drugs, have been rigorously tested and approved by the FDA and are sold by prescription. But many wellness peptides lack credible evidence of safety or effectiveness, yet are available online.

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