Micah Berman
@micahberman.bsky.social
Stephen F. Loebs Professor in Health Management Services and Policy & Professor of Law, Ohio State University
Public Health Law & Policy; Health Policy; Global Public Health; Tobacco Regulation
Public Health Law & Policy; Health Policy; Global Public Health; Tobacco Regulation
Reposted by Micah Berman
“The goal of this administration is to basically make vaccines optional,” said @pauloffit.bsky.social. “And we’re paying the price.” www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
US to slash routine vaccine recommendations for children in major change experts say creates doubt
Jabs to prevent influenza, rotavirus, RSV and other vaccines are no longer fully recommended
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:01 PM
“The goal of this administration is to basically make vaccines optional,” said @pauloffit.bsky.social. “And we’re paying the price.” www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Reposted by Micah Berman
For her part Machado said on X that the guy who actually won the election — Edmundo González Urrutia — should be the leader
January 3, 2026 at 6:23 PM
For her part Machado said on X that the guy who actually won the election — Edmundo González Urrutia — should be the leader
Oh wow — an article about where my family tree overlaps with @stevevladeck.bsky.social’s.
I love this piece by @mollycrabapple.bsky.social—and not just for the obvious reasons:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
They tried to smear him as an antisemite – but Mayor Zohran Mamdani walks in a rich Jewish tradition | Molly Crabapple
When I look at Mamdani, I don’t see some radical departure. I see him an heir to the Yiddish socialism that helped build New York
www.theguardian.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Oh wow — an article about where my family tree overlaps with @stevevladeck.bsky.social’s.
Reposted by Micah Berman
More on the continuing purges at #NIH. Now 13 out of 27 institute directors have been gotten rid of. This is not normal. @jonathanwosen.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/12/27/n...
Director of NIH neurological disorders institute is ousted, adding to leadership churn
Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, will soon be leaving his role, STAT has learned. His departure
www.statnews.com
December 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM
More on the continuing purges at #NIH. Now 13 out of 27 institute directors have been gotten rid of. This is not normal. @jonathanwosen.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/12/27/n...
ugh
Wait, "Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin and Juice" is a real game? I can't tell what's real and fake anymore.
December 27, 2025 at 7:47 PM
ugh
Reposted by Micah Berman
It was all so obvious & uninteresting in its clear bad faith & bad intentions, & the willingness of so many senior folks in academia & society to tolerate the clear bad faith & bad intentions over the last 25 years has been incredibly depressing.
"Why is any of this okay with so many of those who once claimed to be free-speech champions or absolutists? Because, quite obviously, they were not."
I endorse. And admittedly feel some frustration it seems @adamserwer.bsky.social and others do too, having seen through this crowd clearly for years.
I endorse. And admittedly feel some frustration it seems @adamserwer.bsky.social and others do too, having seen through this crowd clearly for years.
The “free speech” and “cancel culture” panics have led to overt state censorship because that was always their purpose. (Gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
December 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
It was all so obvious & uninteresting in its clear bad faith & bad intentions, & the willingness of so many senior folks in academia & society to tolerate the clear bad faith & bad intentions over the last 25 years has been incredibly depressing.
Reposted by Micah Berman
This has flown below the radar, but it’s a low-key outrage that Trump’s FDA has withdrawn the rule to regulate asbestos in talc products. It’s the opposite of making America healthy.
www.notus.org/health-scien...
www.notus.org/health-scien...
All Talc, No Action: Washington Goes Soft on Asbestos Testing
The FDA on Nov. 28 withdrew a proposed rule to test talcum powder in cosmetics for traces of asbestos.
www.notus.org
December 16, 2025 at 11:16 AM
This has flown below the radar, but it’s a low-key outrage that Trump’s FDA has withdrawn the rule to regulate asbestos in talc products. It’s the opposite of making America healthy.
www.notus.org/health-scien...
www.notus.org/health-scien...
Reposted by Micah Berman
Extraordinary courage from Ahmed al Ahmed, a Muslim, 43-year-old father of two, who bravely risked his life to save his neighbors celebrating Hanukkah.
Praying for his full & speedy recovery.
And so deeply inspired by his example.
Praying for his full & speedy recovery.
And so deeply inspired by his example.
December 14, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Extraordinary courage from Ahmed al Ahmed, a Muslim, 43-year-old father of two, who bravely risked his life to save his neighbors celebrating Hanukkah.
Praying for his full & speedy recovery.
And so deeply inspired by his example.
Praying for his full & speedy recovery.
And so deeply inspired by his example.
This executive order is a lot of bluster and doublespeak, but the reporting (here and elsewhere) needs to be better.
EOs cannot preempt state laws; EOs can't create new grounds for lawsuits; the funding threats are almost certainly unlawful, etc., etc.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/t...
EOs cannot preempt state laws; EOs can't create new grounds for lawsuits; the funding threats are almost certainly unlawful, etc., etc.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/t...
Trump Signs Executive Order to Neuter State A.I. Laws
www.nytimes.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:24 PM
This executive order is a lot of bluster and doublespeak, but the reporting (here and elsewhere) needs to be better.
EOs cannot preempt state laws; EOs can't create new grounds for lawsuits; the funding threats are almost certainly unlawful, etc., etc.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/t...
EOs cannot preempt state laws; EOs can't create new grounds for lawsuits; the funding threats are almost certainly unlawful, etc., etc.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/t...
Reposted by Micah Berman
Do you know an amazing post-doc interested in FDA policy and maybe even with some Delphi experience? Send them our way - we're looking to hire on our new project ASAP!
postdocs.yale.edu/posts/2025-1...
postdocs.yale.edu/posts/2025-1...
December 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Do you know an amazing post-doc interested in FDA policy and maybe even with some Delphi experience? Send them our way - we're looking to hire on our new project ASAP!
postdocs.yale.edu/posts/2025-1...
postdocs.yale.edu/posts/2025-1...
Every day it's something new. Another terrible precedent in the ongoing politicization of the FDA.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/t...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/t...
November 22, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Every day it's something new. Another terrible precedent in the ongoing politicization of the FDA.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/t...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/t...
Reposted by Micah Berman
Reposted by Micah Berman
There is no difference between Trump destroying the East Wing and using a wrecking ball on the Washington Monument or Smithsonian. Just because he (temporarily) lives there doesn't give him the right to demolish the White House without Congressional approval.
a live look at the demolition of the White House's East Wing for Trump's ballroom
October 22, 2025 at 7:12 PM
There is no difference between Trump destroying the East Wing and using a wrecking ball on the Washington Monument or Smithsonian. Just because he (temporarily) lives there doesn't give him the right to demolish the White House without Congressional approval.
Reposted by Micah Berman
An AP investigation found that more than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses this year, part of a campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. https://to.pbs.org/43dxCkD
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, attacking longstanding public health protections
More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.
to.pbs.org
October 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
An AP investigation found that more than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses this year, part of a campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. https://to.pbs.org/43dxCkD
"Tiburon could become just the third municipality in the country to ban all sales of tobacco products. The idea originated from a group of high school students in town."
www.ktvu.com/news/tiburon...
www.ktvu.com/news/tiburon...
Bay Area city moves to ban sale of tobacco products
California already has some of the strictest smoking laws in the country, but this North Bay town will become just the third city — after Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach — to go this far.
www.ktvu.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM
"Tiburon could become just the third municipality in the country to ban all sales of tobacco products. The idea originated from a group of high school students in town."
www.ktvu.com/news/tiburon...
www.ktvu.com/news/tiburon...
Inside FDA, career staffers describe how political pressure is influencing their work www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/f... via @statnews.com
Inside FDA, career staffers describe how political pressure is influencing their work
Current and former FDA staff said the level of involvement of political officials in nitty-gritty regulatory matters is unprecedented.
www.statnews.com
October 14, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Inside FDA, career staffers describe how political pressure is influencing their work www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/f... via @statnews.com
Reposted by Micah Berman
“What we’re seeing is what happens when individuals who have don’t have a basic understanding about how vaccines are delivered are making these crucial policy decisions for the American public. They don’t know what they’re doing” -Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases
CDC committee votes on COVID-19 shots amid widespread criticism
After a contentious discussion that at times referenced discredited theories, low-quality data and desperate pleas from physicians and patients to rely upon sound science, a key committee of the U.S.
www.latimes.com
September 19, 2025 at 8:48 PM
“What we’re seeing is what happens when individuals who have don’t have a basic understanding about how vaccines are delivered are making these crucial policy decisions for the American public. They don’t know what they’re doing” -Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases
Very well said -- with lessons for other fields as well.
"Fueling Jewish studies on the fumes of the Trump administration’s attack on higher education is not a win. It’s a trap, and one we fear will bring ill consequences to our field, our universities, and American Jews." Me, @ronitstahl.bsky.social, and Kate Rosenblatt. www.chronicle.com/article/jewi...
Jewish-Studies Scholars, Beware: Trump’s Deal Will Corrupt You
We must all resist being turned into court Jews.
www.chronicle.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Very well said -- with lessons for other fields as well.
Reposted by Micah Berman
If you believe free speech rights aren't important when the government is moving towards authoritarianism, you never actually believed free speech rights were important.
GOP Senator Cynthia Lummis: "Under normal times, in normal circumstances, I tend to think that the First Amendment should always be sort of the ultimate right... I don't feel that way anymore." www.semafor.com/article/09/1...
Kimmel’s suspension prompts free-speech Republicans to reconsider their boundaries
One Republican said she no longer considers the First Amendment to “be sort of the ultimate right,” as she would “in normal circumstances.”
www.semafor.com
September 19, 2025 at 12:44 AM
If you believe free speech rights aren't important when the government is moving towards authoritarianism, you never actually believed free speech rights were important.
Reposted by Micah Berman
Hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis, cancer, death
We have reduced its incidence among children by 99% — a huge achievement
Today RFK Jr’s hand-picked vaccine committee could unravel it www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-jr-ken...
We have reduced its incidence among children by 99% — a huge achievement
Today RFK Jr’s hand-picked vaccine committee could unravel it www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-jr-ken...
RFK Jr.’s Crusade Against Vaccines Hits Its Action Phase
His anti-vax–stacked advisory committee is expected to revise rules for life-saving hepatitis B vax.
www.thebulwark.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis, cancer, death
We have reduced its incidence among children by 99% — a huge achievement
Today RFK Jr’s hand-picked vaccine committee could unravel it www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-jr-ken...
We have reduced its incidence among children by 99% — a huge achievement
Today RFK Jr’s hand-picked vaccine committee could unravel it www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-jr-ken...
Reposted by Micah Berman
The professor has been fired and senior administrators removed from their post. No mention of this in the New York Times, The Free Press, The Atlantic or other outlets who drove the campus speech moral panic.
Texas A&M University System orders audit of all courses after gender identity lesson goes viral
Details: bit.ly/42jauQZ
Details: bit.ly/42jauQZ
September 10, 2025 at 11:59 AM
The professor has been fired and senior administrators removed from their post. No mention of this in the New York Times, The Free Press, The Atlantic or other outlets who drove the campus speech moral panic.
Reposted by Micah Berman
It should not be up to John Oliver to be publicly making the argument that university presidents should be making loudly & collectively on the news & in front of the US Capitol every day.
September 9, 2025 at 1:17 AM
It should not be up to John Oliver to be publicly making the argument that university presidents should be making loudly & collectively on the news & in front of the US Capitol every day.
Reposted by Micah Berman
As a lawyer, I'll tell you that there's nobody who knows this law better than Ryan and Brian. Sure looks like murder or war crime to me. But as a human, I'll tell you that the Rubio statement -- we could have stopped the boat but we blew it up to send a message -- is sickening and depraved.
1/ I worked at DoD. I literally cannot imagine lawyers coming up with a legal basis for lethal strike of suspected Venezuelan drug boat.
Hard to see how this would not be "murder" or war crime under international law that DoD considers applicable.
Read expert analysis by @bcfinucane.bsky.social⤵️
Hard to see how this would not be "murder" or war crime under international law that DoD considers applicable.
Read expert analysis by @bcfinucane.bsky.social⤵️
Legal Issues Raised by a Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean
The Trump administration’s extraordinary lethal attack on this purported smuggling vessel raises significant potential legal issues.
www.justsecurity.org
September 3, 2025 at 10:09 PM
As a lawyer, I'll tell you that there's nobody who knows this law better than Ryan and Brian. Sure looks like murder or war crime to me. But as a human, I'll tell you that the Rubio statement -- we could have stopped the boat but we blew it up to send a message -- is sickening and depraved.