This week, Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson tackle the cyclospora outbreak. With over 7,000 suspected cases and 200+ hospitalizations nationwide, with CDC numbers lagging far behind what state health departments are reporting. A Taylor Farms lettuce facility was initially flagged as the source, then quietly cleared after the company’s CEO visited the White House. It isn’t hard to connect the dots to RFK Jr.’s decision last year to suspend mandatory parasite tracking, which may have made this outbreak harder to trace. Next, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, an OB-GYN, invoked “the doctor in me” to defend continued involvement in Iran, days after American service members were killed. Miles and Rob point out that Kansas has more rural hospitals at risk of closure than any other state, and Marshall voted for Medicaid cuts that make that worse. We also cover new reporting that RFK Jr. floated spending $5 billion (10% of the NIH’s budget) investigating a disproven vaccine-autism link, a plan reportedly shelved after internal pushback. Meanwhile, HHS has quietly canceled dozens of active health studies on telehealth, nutrition, antibiotic resistance, and long COVID, despite funding already committed and researchers hired. Finally, they dig into Pete Hegseth’s new policy mandating annual testosterone testing for troops 30 and older. Miles and Rob explain why medical experts say testosterone treatment should be based on symptoms, not a number, and why mass screening carries real risks like infertility and heart problems. Just another story highlighting this administration’s fixation on masculinity and virility. LINKS * MDHHS Cyclosporiasis Outbreak webpage * CDC Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis webpage (with interactive map) * NBC News: RFK Jr. says cyclosporiasis outbreak is ‘under control’ as Mexico casts doubt on link to Taylor Farms facility * The Washington Post: Mexico says no evidence yet it was source of outbreak, despite U.S. finding * NC Health News: Parasitic infections likely linked to farming practices, not restaurants * Local 3 News: “It’s cut business in half”: self-serve salad restaurant owners says possible closure amid Cyclospora outbreak * The Hill: Ossoff slams RFK Jr. for terminating FoodNet, drawing link to cyclospora outbreak * Aaran Rupar’s tweet with video of Sen. Marshall defending Trump’s war * Reuters: Inside RFK Jr.’s push to dismantle decades of U.S. vaccine policy * Roll Call: HHS research agency ends funding for dozens of health studies * Hegseth’s X announcement * FactCheck.org: RFK Jr.’s Flawed Claims About Sperm Count and Fertility * The Hill: Hegseth’s testosterone mandate carries risks, raises questions * Reuters: Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon plan for testosterone screening * TIME: What Urologists Think of the Military’s New Testosterone Testing Policy * American Urology Association’s “Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency” guidelines * BBC: US military to start screening for testosterone deficiency, Hegseth says * The Guardian: Pete Hegseth wants testosterone for his soldiers. Finally, some gender-affirming care * Courthouse News Service: ‘Sounds like gender-affirming care’: Lawmakers react to Pentagon’s testosterone treatments for troops Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe
