Carolyn Barber, MD
@cbarbermd.bsky.social
Emergency Med physician (25 yrs) & science journalist | Contributor
@Fortune @TIME @SciAm. Author: Runaway Medicine. Championing evidence, truth & democracy. https://www.carolynbarbermd.com/
@Fortune @TIME @SciAm. Author: Runaway Medicine. Championing evidence, truth & democracy. https://www.carolynbarbermd.com/
Youth sports is now a $40 BILLION industry. $50 tryouts. $3,000 teams. $8,000++ a year. Parents are told: pay more = elite athlete.
But studies say early specialization hurts performance and fuels injuries. Turns out the kids aren’t the product — parents are.
#BlueSky #NewsSky #SportsSky #MedSky
But studies say early specialization hurts performance and fuels injuries. Turns out the kids aren’t the product — parents are.
#BlueSky #NewsSky #SportsSky #MedSky
The soaring price of youth sports: $50 to try out, $3,000 to play
Parents are struggling to keep up as costs and luxury options rise. Investors see an opportunity.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Youth sports is now a $40 BILLION industry. $50 tryouts. $3,000 teams. $8,000++ a year. Parents are told: pay more = elite athlete.
But studies say early specialization hurts performance and fuels injuries. Turns out the kids aren’t the product — parents are.
#BlueSky #NewsSky #SportsSky #MedSky
But studies say early specialization hurts performance and fuels injuries. Turns out the kids aren’t the product — parents are.
#BlueSky #NewsSky #SportsSky #MedSky
NEW: Lockheed Martin is more than TRIPLING Patriot missile production. From ~600 to 2,000 PAC-3 interceptors per year under a new 7-year deal with the US Dept of War.
shorturl.at/nU4Zb #BlueSky #NewsSky
shorturl.at/nU4Zb #BlueSky #NewsSky
Lockheed Martin to more than triple Patriot missile production capacity
Lockheed Martin said on Tuesday that it has reached a seven-year agreement with the U.S. Department of War to increase the annual production capacity for its PAC-3 missile interceptors to 2,000 units ...
www.reuters.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:01 AM
NEW: Lockheed Martin is more than TRIPLING Patriot missile production. From ~600 to 2,000 PAC-3 interceptors per year under a new 7-year deal with the US Dept of War.
shorturl.at/nU4Zb #BlueSky #NewsSky
shorturl.at/nU4Zb #BlueSky #NewsSky
A US general says Trump has created a “1940s Stalin problem” in the military. Top Navy and Air Force officers fired in quick succession.
“Toe the line, or we will fire you. You’re in a different world now. This is Trump’s world.”
— Ret. Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton
Purge 1/2
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
“Toe the line, or we will fire you. You’re in a different world now. This is Trump’s world.”
— Ret. Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton
Purge 1/2
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
Trump push to politicize US military ‘reminiscent of Stalin’, top general warns
Maj Gen Paul Eaton says US president’s effort to bend military to his will could have dire long-term consequences
www.theguardian.com
January 6, 2026 at 10:23 PM
JUST IN: Only 1% of the Epstein files are public. The DOJ admits millions more are still being reviewed.
400 lawyers. 100 FBI analysts. Weeks of work.
Transparency shouldn’t need an army. 👀🔥
time.com/7343702/epst... #BlueSky #NewsSky #epstein
400 lawyers. 100 FBI analysts. Weeks of work.
Transparency shouldn’t need an army. 👀🔥
time.com/7343702/epst... #BlueSky #NewsSky #epstein
Less Than 1% of the Epstein Files Released So Far, DOJ Says
DOJ officials said in a court filing that over two million documents "remain in various phases of review and redaction."
time.com
January 6, 2026 at 10:06 PM
JUST IN: Only 1% of the Epstein files are public. The DOJ admits millions more are still being reviewed.
400 lawyers. 100 FBI analysts. Weeks of work.
Transparency shouldn’t need an army. 👀🔥
time.com/7343702/epst... #BlueSky #NewsSky #epstein
400 lawyers. 100 FBI analysts. Weeks of work.
Transparency shouldn’t need an army. 👀🔥
time.com/7343702/epst... #BlueSky #NewsSky #epstein
💥FLU UPDATE 💥
45 STATES are seeing high to very high flu activity —
doctor visits at the HIGHEST level in 30 YEARS
🇺🇸 11+ MILLION illnesses
🏥 120,000 hospitalizations
⚰️ ~5,000 deaths so far
Holiday travel impacts? Not even in the data yet 1/
#BlueSky #MedSky #IDSky #EMSky #PedsSky #NurseSky #SciSky
45 STATES are seeing high to very high flu activity —
doctor visits at the HIGHEST level in 30 YEARS
🇺🇸 11+ MILLION illnesses
🏥 120,000 hospitalizations
⚰️ ~5,000 deaths so far
Holiday travel impacts? Not even in the data yet 1/
#BlueSky #MedSky #IDSky #EMSky #PedsSky #NurseSky #SciSky
Flu surges in 45 states as doctor visits reach highest level in nearly 30 years
Doctor visits for flu-like symptoms — fevers, sore throat, extreme fatigue and body aches — have hit the highest level in nearly 30 years, the CDC reported.
www.yahoo.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:52 PM
🚨VENEZUELA UPDATE🚨
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she’s ready to come home and win a real election. VP Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as interim president.
Trump says the U.S. is “running Venezuela,” that the country must be “fixed” before votes
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she’s ready to come home and win a real election. VP Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as interim president.
Trump says the U.S. is “running Venezuela,” that the country must be “fixed” before votes
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
Maduro opponent Machado vows to return to Venezuela, wants an election
Venezuela's main opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has vowed to return home quickly, praising U.S. President Donald Trump for toppling her enemy Nicolas Maduro and declaring her movement ready to...
www.reuters.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:33 PM
The lawyer who helped free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is now defending Nicolás Maduro on U.S. narco charges.
Barry Pollack says the U.S. militarily abducted a foreign leader. Global lawfare just leveled up. ⚖️💣
shorturl.at/ZdZUp #BlueSky #NewsSky #LawSky
Barry Pollack says the U.S. militarily abducted a foreign leader. Global lawfare just leveled up. ⚖️💣
shorturl.at/ZdZUp #BlueSky #NewsSky #LawSky
Assange's lawyer Barry Pollack to fight Maduro's US narcotics charges
Barry Pollack — the Washington lawyer who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — will defend toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a U.S. drug case that could test immunity claims for fo...
shorturl.at
January 6, 2026 at 2:06 AM
The lawyer who helped free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is now defending Nicolás Maduro on U.S. narco charges.
Barry Pollack says the U.S. militarily abducted a foreign leader. Global lawfare just leveled up. ⚖️💣
shorturl.at/ZdZUp #BlueSky #NewsSky #LawSky
Barry Pollack says the U.S. militarily abducted a foreign leader. Global lawfare just leveled up. ⚖️💣
shorturl.at/ZdZUp #BlueSky #NewsSky #LawSky
Teenage drug dealers killed a man.
Took selfies.
Bragged on Snapchat: “We messed up a man today.”
Those same selfies became evidence.
Life sentences instead of likes. 📱➡️⛓️
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Drugs
Took selfies.
Bragged on Snapchat: “We messed up a man today.”
Those same selfies became evidence.
Life sentences instead of likes. 📱➡️⛓️
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Drugs
Teenage drug dealers who took selfies after killing are jailed
One of the trio was found guilty of the murder of a homeless man, while the others were convicted of manslaughter after the brutal attack at King’s Cross
www.thetimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:19 AM
⚠️ UN EMERGENCY. GLOBAL BACKLASH. ⚠️
The US captures Maduro — & gets slammed from all sides.
France: breach of intn'l law.
Denmark: dangerous precedent.
Russia: neo-colonial “banditry.”
China: illegal & bullying.
UN: the power of law must prevail
Friends uneasy. 1/2
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
The US captures Maduro — & gets slammed from all sides.
France: breach of intn'l law.
Denmark: dangerous precedent.
Russia: neo-colonial “banditry.”
China: illegal & bullying.
UN: the power of law must prevail
Friends uneasy. 1/2
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
US sharply criticised by foes and friends over Maduro seizure
The US taking of Venezuela's leader has faced strong criticism from both America's friends and foes.
www.bbc.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:35 PM
BREAKING: RFK Jr. has unilaterally slashed the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule from 17 diseases to 11—without scientific evidence, without expert review, and without the independent advisory process that has protected children for decades.
Public health experts say the move is #BlueSky #MedSky
Public health experts say the move is #BlueSky #MedSky
Kennedy Scales Back the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Children
www.nytimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM
BREAKING: In a Manhattan courtroom, Nicolás Maduro tells a U.S. judge he was “KIDNAPPED,” pleads not guilty to drug trafficking, insists:
“I am still president of my country.”
His son calls it a “dangerous regression” to imperialism and urges global solidarity. #BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
“I am still president of my country.”
His son calls it a “dangerous regression” to imperialism and urges global solidarity. #BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
January 5, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Trump responded to Mark Kelly’s video by declaring “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Now the Pentagon is moving to censure & demote Kelly for telling troops to refuse illegal orders. A decorated Navy veteran & U.S. Senator is being targeted
#BlueSky #NewsSky
#BlueSky #NewsSky
Pentagon moves to censure, demote Sen. Mark Kelly over video
The Pentagon upbraided Sen. Mark Kelly over his role in the "illegal orders" video, saying he was "reckless."
www.azcentral.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:16 PM
The U.S. wants Venezuelan oil not because it needs more oil — but because it needs HEAVY oil.
Gulf Coast refineries are built for heavy crude. U.S. shale is mostly light.
Venezuela’s oil is dense, sulphur-heavy — closer to tar — hard to extract, hard to refine… #BlueSky #NewsSky #OilSky
Gulf Coast refineries are built for heavy crude. U.S. shale is mostly light.
Venezuela’s oil is dense, sulphur-heavy — closer to tar — hard to extract, hard to refine… #BlueSky #NewsSky #OilSky
Dense, sticky and heavy: why Venezuelan crude oil appeals to US refineries
South American nation’s tar-like oil is what many Gulf coast facilities were built for but ramping up production to 3m barrels a day will be a long game
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:43 PM
January 5, 2026 at 4:30 AM
Trump Mobile’s gold phone delayed due to a government shutdown. You really can’t make this stuff up. 🥇
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-m... #BlueSky #NewsSky #EconSky
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-m... #BlueSky #NewsSky #EconSky
Trump Mobile pushes back release of gold-colored phone
The Trump Organization announced the $499 phone and wireless plan this summer, promising to deliver "all-American service."
www.cbsnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:22 AM
Trump Mobile’s gold phone delayed due to a government shutdown. You really can’t make this stuff up. 🥇
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-m... #BlueSky #NewsSky #EconSky
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-m... #BlueSky #NewsSky #EconSky
✨Imagine regrowing the cartilage in your knees instead of replacing them...
Stanford scientists just reprogrammed cartilage cells to act young again by blocking an age-related protein.
In mice, it rebuilt worn knee 1/
#Knee #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky #EMSky #NurseSky #OrthoSky #IMSky
Stanford scientists just reprogrammed cartilage cells to act young again by blocking an age-related protein.
In mice, it rebuilt worn knee 1/
#Knee #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky #EMSky #NurseSky #OrthoSky #IMSky
January 5, 2026 at 4:16 AM
“Is anyone going to just stop for a second and be honest? This is insane. What the hell are we doing?
We've got a lot of problems in America today, and invading, occupying, running Venezuela does not solve any of them."
— Congressman Seth Moulton.
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
We've got a lot of problems in America today, and invading, occupying, running Venezuela does not solve any of them."
— Congressman Seth Moulton.
#BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
January 5, 2026 at 2:52 AM
He captured a foreign president.
Says Mexico is “run by cartels” and “something’s going to have to be done.”
Says Cuba is “a failing nation.”
Says Colombia’s president is “making cocaine” and tells him to “watch his ass.”
No congressional authorization.
114 dead, 1/2
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Polisky
Says Mexico is “run by cartels” and “something’s going to have to be done.”
Says Cuba is “a failing nation.”
Says Colombia’s president is “making cocaine” and tells him to “watch his ass.”
No congressional authorization.
114 dead, 1/2
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Polisky
A new Trump foreign policy doctrine emphasizes threats of regime change
After ordering the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, Trump put other foreign leaders on notice.
www.nbcnews.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Venezuela is sitting on 300 BILLION barrels of oil — and everyone is watching.
“Every major oil company in the world and some of the smaller ones will look closely at this,” says energy expert Francisco Monaldi.
Exxon & Conoco fled — assets seized.
Chevron’s the #BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
“Every major oil company in the world and some of the smaller ones will look closely at this,” says energy expert Francisco Monaldi.
Exxon & Conoco fled — assets seized.
Chevron’s the #BlueSky #NewsSky #PoliSky
January 4, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Waaaaiiiitttttt… Congress didn’t know but The Washington Post and The New York Times did???
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Venezuela
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Venezuela
January 4, 2026 at 3:26 AM
Waaaaiiiitttttt… Congress didn’t know but The Washington Post and The New York Times did???
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Venezuela
#BlueSky #NewsSky #Venezuela
International condemnation grows: The U.S. bombardment of Venezuela and abduction of a foreign head of state has alarmed the world.
UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul said Trump should be investigated:
“I condemn the US’s illegal aggression against Venezuela #BlueSky #NewsSky #LawSky #PoliSky 1/
UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul said Trump should be investigated:
“I condemn the US’s illegal aggression against Venezuela #BlueSky #NewsSky #LawSky #PoliSky 1/
January 4, 2026 at 2:55 AM