Jonathan Rockoff
@jonathanrockoff.bsky.social
Deputy Corp Editor at @wsj.com. Board member of the Association of Health Care Journalists.
It’s that time of year for returning unwanted gifts—and now, hiring someone to do it
You Can Now Hire Someone to Return All Those Unwanted Gifts
As in-store shopping slows and online orders surge, Taskrabbit has seen a 62% year-over-year increase in return-related bookings during November and December.
www.wsj.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:34 PM
It’s that time of year for returning unwanted gifts—and now, hiring someone to do it
Joel Habener led research that discovered GLP-1
Joel Habener, Whose Research Helped Develop Weight-Loss Drugs, Dies at 88
Habener led research that discovered the GLP-1 hormone, a key ingredient in Ozempic and Mounjaro.
www.wsj.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Joel Habener led research that discovered GLP-1
A life-sciences job in Boston used to be a sure path to a high-paying career, but empty labs and unemployed grads now herald tougher times in the city
Ph.D.s Can’t Find Work as Boston’s Biotech Engine Sputters
A life-sciences job in Boston used to be a sure path to a high-paying career, but empty labs and unemployed grads now herald tougher times in the city.
www.wsj.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:37 PM
A life-sciences job in Boston used to be a sure path to a high-paying career, but empty labs and unemployed grads now herald tougher times in the city
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
I wrote this column about the aggressive pushback our reporters have received for doing their jobs.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment, they’ve found their efforts to do so are more likely to be vilified than appreciated.
www.propublica.org
December 29, 2025 at 2:23 PM
I wrote this column about the aggressive pushback our reporters have received for doing their jobs.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
Backpacks from Japan, Milka chocolate biscuits from Europe and other goods shipped to the U.S. aren’t just being blocked from entering the country. Some are smashed to bits. on.wsj.com/3MRJZxk
December 26, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Backpacks from Japan, Milka chocolate biscuits from Europe and other goods shipped to the U.S. aren’t just being blocked from entering the country. Some are smashed to bits. on.wsj.com/3MRJZxk
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
He left the FBI but refused to give up his hunt for the spy called Hades. A phony job interview was just the trap he needed. on.wsj.com/4pUvK9m
Exclusive | The Ex-FBI Agent Who Spent Four Years Hunting Down a North Korean Spy
Eric Kerr left the bureau in 2023 but kept searching for Conspirator 1, who allegedly targeted a Kansas hospital in a ransomware attack.
on.wsj.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:40 AM
He left the FBI but refused to give up his hunt for the spy called Hades. A phony job interview was just the trap he needed. on.wsj.com/4pUvK9m
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
Goodbye videogames and clothes. Hello blood-sugar and gut-microbiome tests. 2025 is the year of the health gift.
Sleep Monitors and Poop Tests: Health-Tracking Gifts Find a Place Under the Tree
Some of this year’s hottest gifts measure blood glucose and gut microbiomes. There is the “judginess” factor to consider.
on.wsj.com
December 22, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Goodbye videogames and clothes. Hello blood-sugar and gut-microbiome tests. 2025 is the year of the health gift.
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
“On cloud nine”: A young girl’s memorable shopping tour through FAO Schwarz is part of a new retail playbook for lifting bricks-and-mortar stores.
FAO Schwarz Entices Toy Shoppers With the One Thing They Can’t Get Online
The fabled toy store and other retailers are betting memorable experiences can lure customers away from e-commerce sites.
on.wsj.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:31 AM
“On cloud nine”: A young girl’s memorable shopping tour through FAO Schwarz is part of a new retail playbook for lifting bricks-and-mortar stores.
“It’s all about creating something unforgettable.”
FAO Schwarz Entices Toy Shoppers With the One Thing They Can’t Get Online
The fabled toy store and other retailers are betting memorable experiences can lure customers away from e-commerce sites.
www.wsj.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:48 AM
“It’s all about creating something unforgettable.”
FAA leaders convened a panel of experts in February to re-examine how to deal with debris risks from spaceflight failures. But FAA officials suspended the safety review in August.
Exclusive | The SpaceX Explosion That Put Flights in Danger
FAA documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show an explosion of SpaceX’s Starship on Jan. 16 posed a greater danger to planes in the air over the Caribbean than was publicly known.
www.wsj.com
December 21, 2025 at 8:37 PM
FAA leaders convened a panel of experts in February to re-examine how to deal with debris risks from spaceflight failures. But FAA officials suspended the safety review in August.
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
For the Mennonites at the center of the historic measles outbreak in Texas, “the scrutiny was worse than the disease itself. Today, they say they’re no more likely to get vaccinated, and they’re even less trusting of the government and health officials.” @texastribune.org
Texas measles outbreak hardened Mennonites against vaccines
Months after public health officials say they caused the nation’s largest measles surge in 30 years, some West Texas Mennonites have grown more skeptical of the mainstream medical system.
www.texastribune.org
December 20, 2025 at 10:48 PM
For the Mennonites at the center of the historic measles outbreak in Texas, “the scrutiny was worse than the disease itself. Today, they say they’re no more likely to get vaccinated, and they’re even less trusting of the government and health officials.” @texastribune.org
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
The self-proclaimed Fashion Whisperer of Boston was a star stylist for the city's elite. Saks says he scammed it out of $400,000.
A Saks Stylist for Boston’s Wealthy Is Accused of a $400,000 Returns Scam
The self-proclaimed “Fashion Whisperer” outfitted the city’s socialites for years—until the department store said it discovered he was processing fake returns
on.wsj.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:33 AM
The self-proclaimed Fashion Whisperer of Boston was a star stylist for the city's elite. Saks says he scammed it out of $400,000.
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
Texas sued healthcare technology giant Epic Systems, alleging the company’s setup can block parents from accessing their children’s health information.
Texas Sues Medical-Tech Firm Epic Systems Over Parent Access to Child Records
The state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit that also alleges the company blocks competition.
on.wsj.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Texas sued healthcare technology giant Epic Systems, alleging the company’s setup can block parents from accessing their children’s health information.
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
A Democratic effort to extend federal health-insurance subsidies failed in the Senate. A rival GOP plan funding health accounts also fell short of advancing. on.wsj.com/3MxAp2n
Democrats’ Proposal to Extend Enhanced ACA Subsidies Fails in Senate
A rival GOP plan funding health accounts also fell short of advancing, leaving no clear path ahead.
on.wsj.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:45 PM
A Democratic effort to extend federal health-insurance subsidies failed in the Senate. A rival GOP plan funding health accounts also fell short of advancing. on.wsj.com/3MxAp2n
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
The Making of a Monopoly: Part 2 of @gingerthompson.bsky.social's outstanding look at Phoebe Putney and about how it waged a yearslong battle to eliminate its competition. Required reading for anyone who cares about why our health care system is what it is. (w/ Doris Burke)
Sick in a Hospital Town, Part 2: The Making of a Monopoly
The story of how a century-old community hospital in Albany, Georgia, grew into a sprawling health care system by waging a yearslong battle to eliminate its competition.
projects.propublica.org
December 8, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The Making of a Monopoly: Part 2 of @gingerthompson.bsky.social's outstanding look at Phoebe Putney and about how it waged a yearslong battle to eliminate its competition. Required reading for anyone who cares about why our health care system is what it is. (w/ Doris Burke)
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
12 former commissioners of the FDA came together to write a Perspectives piece for the New England Journal of Medicine; raising our concerns about recent changes to vaccine approval policy at the FDA and its implications for patients and public health.
December 3, 2025 at 10:28 PM
12 former commissioners of the FDA came together to write a Perspectives piece for the New England Journal of Medicine; raising our concerns about recent changes to vaccine approval policy at the FDA and its implications for patients and public health.
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
Very cool radioactive fungus news
From @chelleraiser.bsky.social
www.sciencealert.com/chernobyl-fu...
From @chelleraiser.bsky.social
www.sciencealert.com/chernobyl-fu...
Chernobyl Fungus Appears to Have Evolved an Incredible Ability
The Chernobyl exclusion zone may be off-limits to humans, but ever since the Unit Four reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded nearly 40 years ago, other forms of life have not only move...
www.sciencealert.com
December 1, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Very cool radioactive fungus news
From @chelleraiser.bsky.social
www.sciencealert.com/chernobyl-fu...
From @chelleraiser.bsky.social
www.sciencealert.com/chernobyl-fu...
BREAKING: Ozempic – and 14 other popular prescription drugs – will cost less for Medicare after the U.S. government negotiated lower prices
U.S. Negotiates Lower Prices for Ozempic and 14 Other Drugs
The price cuts will save Medicare billions of dollars in prescription-drug spending.
www.wsj.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:39 PM
BREAKING: Ozempic – and 14 other popular prescription drugs – will cost less for Medicare after the U.S. government negotiated lower prices
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
Texas AG @KenPaxtonTX is suing more drug companies. This week, he sued Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb for failing to disclose that their drug Plavix did not work effectively for certain patients.
Attorney General Paxton Sues Big Pharma Companies Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi for Making Billions While Harming Americans and Failing to Disclose Plavix’s Ineffectiveness
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb for failing to disclose that their drug Plavix did not work effectively for certain patient...
www.texasattorneygeneral.gov
November 21, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Texas AG @KenPaxtonTX is suing more drug companies. This week, he sued Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb for failing to disclose that their drug Plavix did not work effectively for certain patients.
Breaking: Pfizer prevails over Novo Nordisk for a weight-loss drug startup after an unusual bidding war
Pfizer and Metsera Reach Deal Expected to Top $10 Billion
Pfizer prevailed over Novo Nordisk after an unusual, monthslong bidding war for the weight-loss startup.
www.wsj.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Breaking: Pfizer prevails over Novo Nordisk for a weight-loss drug startup after an unusual bidding war
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
James Watson has died. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:43 PM
James Watson has died. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
Forget hoodies. The latest addition to the tech-bro look is a newly taut face. on.wsj.com/3L8d9HD
Why Tech Bros Are Getting Face-Lifts Now
To combat fears of aging out of the workforce, men in tech are splurging on face-lifts, neck lifts and eyelid lifts, say plastic surgeons
on.wsj.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Forget hoodies. The latest addition to the tech-bro look is a newly taut face. on.wsj.com/3L8d9HD
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
Freelancers: AHCJ membership = credential support for major health conferences. 👉 Join today: healthjournalism.org/become-a-member #FreelanceJournalism
October 21, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Freelancers: AHCJ membership = credential support for major health conferences. 👉 Join today: healthjournalism.org/become-a-member #FreelanceJournalism
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
After decades of fluoridating drinking water to improve public health, some communities are wavering on the practice. In one Michigan county, the medical director is mirroring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts against fluoridation. @annaleighclark.bsky.social
On the Front Line of the Fluoride Wars, Debate Over Drinking Water Treatment Turns Raucous
After decades of fluoridating drinking water to improve public health, some communities are wavering on the practice. In one Michigan county, the medical director is mirroring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ...
www.propublica.org
October 13, 2025 at 12:46 PM
After decades of fluoridating drinking water to improve public health, some communities are wavering on the practice. In one Michigan county, the medical director is mirroring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts against fluoridation. @annaleighclark.bsky.social
Reposted by Jonathan Rockoff
The Trump administration on Saturday scrambled to rescind layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly fired on Friday night in what appeared to be a substantial procedural lapse.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...
Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error
www.nytimes.com
October 12, 2025 at 12:14 AM
The Trump administration on Saturday scrambled to rescind layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly fired on Friday night in what appeared to be a substantial procedural lapse.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...