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☆ Lyme disease: A doctor explains what it is
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —As model Bella Hadid opens up about Lyme disease and other health issues, her ordeal brings up many questions. Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of a particular tick, the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus). CNN: Is there a blood test one could take to see whether they have Lyme disease? False positives can also occur, with some other tickborne diseases and autoimmune illnesses triggering a positive result in the absence of Lyme disease. Wen: Without a vaccine, the best way to prevent Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites.

Persons: Bella Hadid, Leana Wen, Lyme, Wen, It’s Organizations: CNN, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Getty, National Institute of Allergy, Pfizer Locations: Lyme, United States

Ron DeSantis said “of course” Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, his the most direct comments on the matter in the nearly three years since the former president’s defeat. “Of course he lost,” DeSantis told NBC News in an interview that aired Sunday. They did the CARES Act, which funded mail-in ballots across the country,” DeSantis told NBC. As he often does when faced with questions about the 2020 election, DeSantis in his interview with NBC motioned toward the future and how the 2024 election must be a “referendum on Joe Biden’s policies” and “failures” rather than relitigating the past. We got to start healing divisions in this country,” DeSantis told reporters.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, ” DeSantis, “ Joe Biden’s, ”, DeSantis, “, Trump, Anthony Fauci, lockdowns, Covid, Joe Biden’s, Stormy Daniels Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, NBC News, Republican, National Institute of Allergy, NBC, Covid Locations: Decorah , Iowa, Pennsylvania, Florida, Mar, Waverly , Iowa

CNN —A federal judge on Tuesday ordered some Biden administration agencies and top officials not to communicate with social media companies about certain content, handing a win to GOP states in a lawsuit accusing the government of going too far in its effort to combat Covid-19 disinformation. In a preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Terry Doughty, the judge ordered a slew of federal agencies and more than a dozen top officials not to communicate with social media companies about taking down “content containing protected free speech” that’s posted on the platforms. The injunction notes that the government can still communicate with the companies as part of efforts to curb illegal activity and address national security threats. The lawsuit brought by the Missouri and Louisiana attorneys general in 2022 represents a novel way to pursue “censorship” claims accusing the Biden administration of effectively silencing conservatives by leaning on the private social media companies. The judge had previously ordered the administration to produce documents identifying government officials and the nature of their communications with social media platforms.

Persons: Terry Doughty, ” that’s, Vivek Murthy, Karine Jean, Pierre, Doughty, ” Doughty, Donald Trump, Meta, Biden, Doughty hasn’t, ’ Organizations: CNN, Biden, GOP, US District, Department of Health, Human Services, National Institute of Allergy, US Centers for Disease Control, Justice Department, FBI, White House Press, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, White, Google Locations: Missouri, Louisiana

☆ Trump and DeSantis, once pandemic allies, are now gaslighting each other over Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Though steadfast allies throughout much of the pandemic, Trump and DeSantis, as presidential primary rivals, agree on very little about what transpired during one of the most trying periods in their respective tenures in leadership. Unsaid in the ad was that DeSantis had repeatedly praised Fauci early in the pandemic, calling him “really, really good and really, really helpful” and “really doing a good job.” A CNN KFile review found Trump began harshly criticizing Fauci much earlier than DeSantis. Trump has dismissed the conservative back-slapping of DeSantis’ handling of the pandemic, insisting the governor’s performance wasn’t all that great. By preemptively attacking DeSantis’ pandemic policies, Trump, too, appears aware that voters could see his top rival as stronger on the issue. The shift became an early fault line in the fracturing relationship between Trump and DeSantis.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis –, Trump, Anthony Fauci, DeSantis “, Fauci, ”, DeSantis, Ron, “, Andrew, Cuomo, ” Trump, ” DeSantis, shutdowns, it’s, Steve Sisolak’s, Steve Sisolak, “ You’re, OAN, they’re Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, GOP, New, Concord, Twitter, Trump’s, National Institute of Allergy, Trump, Florida, DeSantis, Republicans, New York Democratic, Republican, Gallup, Las Vegas, Democratic, Fox News, Food and Drug Administration, “ Fox, Friends Locations: New Hampshire, Hollis, lockstep, Florida, Nevada

☆ At Larry Kramer’s Memorial, a Gathering of Friends and Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jacob Bernstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Decades before Dr. Anthony S. Fauci became a household name during the coronavirus pandemic, one of his detractors wrote that he was “a murderer” and “a liar” who “should be put before a firing squad.”The man behind those words was Larry Kramer, the argumentative writer and activist who helped shape the modern gay rights movement during the AIDS crisis and who died in May 2020 at 84. On Monday evening, at a memorial for Mr. Kramer at the Lucille Lortel Theater in the West Village, Dr. Fauci was among the speakers. The second he strode onto the stage, people applauded. In his speech, Dr. Fauci described his long, complicated relationship with Mr. Kramer, starting with the fiery words that appeared in the The San Francisco Examiner in 1988, when he was four years into his nearly four-decade tenure as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. At the time, Mr. Kramer blamed Dr. Fauci for the Reagan administration's tepid response to a disease that had claimed tens of thousands of lives in the United States by then.

Persons: Anthony S, Fauci, ”, Larry Kramer, Kramer, Lucille Lortel, strode, Dr, Reagan Organizations: San Francisco Examiner, National Institute of Allergy Locations: West, United States

☆ Election campaigns are already using AI with some degree of success. Experts are concerned it will usher in a new era of disinformation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Political campaigns are using AI to create election material, attack ads, and donation requests. —DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 5, 2023Campaigns, ranging from mayoral races to the 2024 presidential election, have already been using artificial intelligence to create election ads or outreach emails — with some reportedly seeing benefits in the tool. Beyond fake images, West wrote that artificial intelligence could also be used for "very precise audience targeting" to reach swing voters. During his first appearance before Congress in May, the CEO of OpenAI, which created ChatGPT, admitted his concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in elections as the tool advances. "This is a remarkable time to be working on artificial intelligence," he said.

Persons: —, Ron DeSantis's, Donald Trump, Anthony Fauci, ike, ake, ould Organizations: Service, National Institute of Allergy Locations: Florida

☆ Jack Dorsey is backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — an anti-vaxxer who called Anthony Fauci a fascist — for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey has endorsed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president. Dorsey tweeted that Kennedy "can and will" beat both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis in the 2024 race. One Twitter user posted a comment asking whether Dorsey was endorsing Kennedy, or "just predicting." Kennedy, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, filed his statement of candidacy on April 4, officially challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic candidate nomination. Representatives of Kennedy and Dorsey did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Twitter's, Jack Dorsey, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Dorsey, Kennedy, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Anthony Fauci, —, Harris Faulkner, John F, Joe Biden, Kennedy's, Anne Frank, Kerry Kennedy, Bobby, Insider's Alia Shoaib, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, PayPal's, Musk, Thiel, DeSantis Organizations: Service, Florida Gov, Fox News, Trump, DeSantis, Democratic, Center, Children's Health Defense, Facebook, National Institute of Allergy Locations: COVID, Washington, Hitler's Germany, Switzerland

☆ Queer people in history: Figures to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Leah Asmelash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

To commemorate the month, CNN is highlighting five major LGBTQ elders – some who have passed on, and some who haven’t – highlighting their achievements. From a drag king who fought discrimination on the streets of New York to a famous mathematician who stood up to adversity despite legal limitations, here are five LGBTQ figures to know. Miss Major Griffin-GracyMiss Major in the film "Major," a documentary about her life and campaigns. But a year after Stonewall, Miss Major was arrested for robbery, landing her with a five-year prison sentence. Decades after her release, Miss Major spent time as the executive director of the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project.

Persons: Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King Jr, Patrick A, Burns, Rustin wasn’t, Rustin, King, Sen, Strom Thurmond, Gavin Newsom, Larry Kramer Larry Kramer, Catherine McGann, Larry Kramer, “, ”, Kramer, Anthony Fauci, Miss Major Griffin, Major, Marsha P, Johnson, Miss Major, Mama, Michelle V, Stormé DeLarverie, DeLarverie, White, “ That’s, Alan Turing, Alan Turing’s, Turing, it’s Organizations: CNN, New York Times Co, Getty, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, California Gov, Village Voice, AIDS, Centers for Disease Control, ACT UP, AIDS Coalition, National Institute of Allergy, Miss, Stonewall, New York Times, Physical Laboratory Locations: New York, India, Montgomery, Washington, Chicago, Greenwich, New Orleans, England

☆ Ron DeSantis praised Anthony Fauci for Covid response in spring 2020 for ‘really doing a good job’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Andrew Kaczynski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And from Dr. Birx to Dr. Fauci to the vice president who’s worked very hard, the surgeon general, they’re really doing a good job. “Governor DeSantis would’ve fired Anthony Fauci.”In a news conference on Tuesday, DeSantis also acknowledged mistakes early in the pandemic. DeSantis, like Trump, later broke with Fauci over reopening Florida in July 2020, but he didn’t begin regularly harshly criticizing Fauci until spring 2021. Speaking at a news briefing on March 21, 2020, DeSantis made similar comments praising Fauci. “I would defer to people like Dr. Fauci,” DeSantis said on March 14, 2020.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Anthony, Fauci, DeSantis, “, ”, they’re, ” DeSantis, Birx, who’s, Trump, Bryan Griffin, ” Griffin, DeSantis would’ve, Anthony Fauci, I’ve, retweeting, Dan Scavino, didn’t, reopenings, we’ve, they’ve, we’re Organizations: CNN, Republican, “, National Institute of Allergy, Diseases, Trump Locations: Florida, Fauci, Iowa

☆ Ron DeSantis accused Trump of 'going left' on fiscal and cultural issues and called the former president 'a different guy' compared to his 2016 run
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DeSantis said Trump is running from the "left" as the Fla. governor has now entered the 2024 race. In a range of interviews, DeSantis sought to assert himself as the true conservative in the primary. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Thursday wasted little time going after former President Donald Trump after announcing his White House run, accusing the ex-commander-in-chief of "going left" on fiscal and cultural issues. Despite DeSantis' appeal among many conservatives looking to move past the Trump era, the former president remains the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. As of May 27, the national polling average on FiveThirtyEight had Trump ahead of DeSantis 53.9%-20.4%.

☆ Universal flu vaccine based on mRNA tech to be tested by National Institutes of Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Patients are now enrolling in an early stage clinical trial to test a universal flu vaccine based on messenger RNA technology, the National Institutes of Health announced Monday. "A universal flu vaccine could serve as an important line of defense against the spread of a future flu pandemic," Dr. Hugh Auchincloss, acting director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a statement Monday. The universal flu vaccine trial will enroll up to 50 healthy people ages 18 through 49 to test whether the experimental shot is safe and produces an immune response, according to NIH. The universal shot was developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The dominant flu strains can change between the time when experts select the strains and the manufacturers roll the shots out.

☆ Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +55 min

Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’ In his most extensive interview yet, Anthony Fauci wrestles with the hard lessons of the pandemic — and the decisions that will define his legacy. But when people say, “Fauci shut down the economy” — it wasn’t Fauci. But somehow or other, the general public didn’t get that feeling that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly. We also had a public-health system that we thought was really, really good. But it was really, really antiquated.

☆ Fact Check-New COVID sublineages identified since Fauci’s retirement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters reported on Jan. 5, 2023, (here) that the Omicron sublineage XBB.1.5, the most transmissible one to date, was already spreading rapidly in the U.S. in December 2022. PANGO’s website (here) shows multiple new lineages identified from virus samples deposited around the world, and given names, in 2023. These include: XBB.1.24 and XBB.1.22.2 first spotted on Feb. 2, XBB.2.3.1 first seen on Jan. 29 and XBB.2.3.2 first identified on Jan. 18. The claims allude to the theory that the COVID-19 virus or its variants were planned or fabricated by the government or by Fauci. More than one new Omicron sublineage of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been identified since Anthony Fauci’s retirement.

The Food and Drug Administration made its assessment in briefing documents ahead of a meeting of the agency's external advisers on Thursday to discuss full approval to use Pfizer's oral pill for high-risk COVID-19 patients exhibiting mild to moderate symptoms. Paxlovid has been authorized for emergency use since late 2021, and a full approval is likely to allow Pfizer to expand its advertising campaign for the drug. Over 12 million courses have been delivered to pharmacies, and patients have used over 8 million courses of the treatment, according to Federal data. Paxlovid has shown reduction in risk of hospitalization or death by 86% in non-hospitalized, high-risk adult patients in Pfizer' study, which did not include vaccinated participants. Reporting by Leroy Leo and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Congress sends bill to Biden requiring his administration to declassify intelligence on COVID-19's origins
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The House passed a bipartisan bill that would require the Biden administration to declassify information related to COVID-19's origins. The origins of COVID-19 have long been debated and theorized. The House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill, titled the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, in a 419-0 vote on Friday. The bill comes after the US Energy Department recently concluded with "low confidence" that the pandemic was likely the result of a lab leak. Indeed, lawmakers could likely override a potential veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

☆ Moderna misses on earnings as costs rise from surplus production capacity, lower Covid shot demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Moderna on Thursday missed earnings expectation for the fourth quarter, as costs rose from surplus production capacity and lower demand for its Covid-19 vaccine, the company's only product on the market. Moderna reported quarterly earnings of $3.61 per share, a 68% decrease from the same period in 2021 when it booked $11.29 per share. Moderna has signed contracts for $5 billion in Covid vaccine deliveries for 2023. Moderna estimates U.S. market volume in fall 2023 will be 100 million doses, said Arpa Garay, the company's chief commercial officer. Garay said Moderna will leverage the infrastructure it already has in place for Covid to launch the RSV vaccine.

☆ House GOP asks Fauci and dozens of health officials to testify in investigation into Covid origins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

House Republicans have asked former White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony to testify before Congress as they launch a new investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. "If there are oversight hearings I absolutely will cooperate fully and testify before the Congress," Fauci told reporters during his final briefing at the White House. He stepped down from his posts at the White House and at the helm of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in December. EcoHealth Alliance provided funding, which originated at NIH, to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses. About $600,000 of that money went directly to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study the threat posed by bat coronaviruses.

☆ Fact Check-Moderna CEO did not say company made 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses before the pandemic started
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At Davos 2023, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel spoke about how quickly the company was able to scale up vaccine production at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, not that Moderna had made 100,000 COVID vaccine doses before the pandemic began, as some are claiming online. The clip of Bancel responding to a question in January 2023 circulated in a tweet by the user @healthbyjames with the false caption, “URGENT — Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel Admits Company Produced 100,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses In 2019 Before The Pandemic Started” (here). Bancel responds by first recalling that, “when the pandemic happened, Moderna had made 100,000 dose in 2019 for the whole year. Moderna did not produce 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2019, Ridley said. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel did not say in a 2023 panel discussion that the company produced 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines prior to the pandemic.

☆ Fact Check-Vaccine work before SARS-CoV-2 had a name does not prove pandemic was planned
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Users online are circulating that widely-known fact to imply the COVID-19 pandemic was planned. At timestamp 0:17-0:42, Bancel says Moderna was working on a COVID-19 vaccine before the virus had an official name, saying “I think there was no name at that time” (here). On Jan. 23, 2020, the WHO-affiliated Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced funding for three separate research teams to work on potential vaccines against the novel coronavirus (here). One of the research teams included a partnership between drug and vaccine developer Moderna and the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Neither the disease nor the virus that causes it had formal names until February 2020.

The only HIV vaccine in a late-stage trial has failed, researchers announced Wednesday, dealing a significant blow to the effort to control the global HIV epidemic and adding to a decadeslong roster of failed attempts. “I don’t think that people should give up on the field of the HIV vaccine,” Fauci said. Fauci said that a critical limitation of the Mosaico vaccine was that it elicited what are known as non-neutralizing — as opposed to neutralizing — antibodies against HIV. As with the Thai trial, the hope is to channel research findings into future HIV vaccine development. To prove a vaccine works, researchers must recruit participants who remain at substantial risk of HIV over time.

☆ David Kessler, top health official for Covid vaccines, to leave Biden administration
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

David Kessler, a key official in the Biden administration's Covid vaccine and treatment efforts, is stepping down from his role as chief science officer, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday. Since January 2021, Kessler has played a leading role in the development and roll out Covid vaccines. Kessler, 71, is the latest Covid response official to step down at President Joe Biden's two-year mark in office. The Biden administration and health officials have had to combat misinformation and conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines during their rollout. The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 78.8% of U.S. adults have completed their primary series of Covid vaccines.

☆ Anthony Fauci says he has 'no idea' what Elon Musk's talking about after the Twitter chief threatened to release the 'Fauci Files'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Anthony Fauci said he has "no idea" what Elon Musk is talking about in regard to the "Fauci Files." Musk teased the release of the files following his previous criticism of the medical expert. Fauci told the CBS News podcast "The Takeout": "I have no idea what he's talking about. Meanwhile, journalists appointed by Musk have been discussing several controversies arising from what have been called the "Twitter Files." They include internal discussions regarding the decision to ban former President Trump from Twitter following the deadly Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.

☆ Elon Musk teases release of the 'Fauci Files,' following his previous scathing criticism of the medical expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said the next Twitter Files release would include information about Anthony Fauci. Musk targeted the doctor and scientist in December by tweeting: "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci." Musk targeted Fauci in early December when he tweeted: "My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci." Meanwhile, journalists appointed by Musk have been discussing several controversies arising from what are known as the Twitter Files. But the Twitter CEO and some freelance journalists are annoyed that the Twitter Files haven't received more support from the press.

☆ Man who threatened to kill CDC head pleads guilty to charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

— A Mississippi man who threatened to kill Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has pleaded guilty to making threats in interstate commerce, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Robert Wiser Bates, 39, of Ridgeland, threatened to kill Walensky in voicemails left in July 2021 at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, court records said. He also said he would kill Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to the president. In August, a West Virginia man was sentenced to three years in federal prison after he sent emails threatening Fauci and another federal health official for talking about the coronavirus and efforts to prevent its spread. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

☆ Tesla shares have fallen 28% since Elon Musk took over Twitter, lagging other carmakers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk speaks at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing "Cyber Rodeo" grand opening party in Austin, Texas, on April 7, 2022. U.S. electric truck maker Rivian has fallen by 27% over that period. Shares in electric vehicle maker Tesla have fallen 28% since October 27, when CEO Elon Musk bought Twitter and appointed himself "Chief Twit," or CEO, of the social media business. Musk sold billions of dollars' worth of his Tesla holdings to finance the Twitter takeover. Since he took over the company, Musk has been regularly posting incendiary tweets, especially aimed at people who hold center-to-left political values, and whom Musk often paints as enemies with a "woke mind virus."

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