Zara Ahmed
LightNews LightNews
zarahmed.bsky.social
Zara Ahmed
@zarahmed.bsky.social
66 followers 190 following 1 posts
VP of Policy at Carbon Direct. Adjunct professor at UNC. Former CDC and Guttmacher Institute. Gardener, podcast obsessive, yogi.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
donmoyn.bsky.social
Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."
My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles. The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC. Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun. The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.
August 28, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
newyorker.com
No one can make a crowd gasp like Gaël Monfils can, or laugh in unison, or sometimes groan. “He is regarded as more of an entertainer than a winner, even though he often won,” @louisathomas.bsky.social ‬writes.
Gaël Monfils Is Winning in His Own Way
He made his French Open début two decades ago—and has been electrifying the tennis world ever since.
www.newyorker.com
May 25, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
washingtonpost.com
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) told President Donald Trump “we’ll see you in court” and said her state won’t be intimidated by his threat to withhold federal funds if it doesn’t bar transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams.
Maine governor tells Trump ‘see you in court’ amid faceoff over trans athletes
Trump threatened to withhold federal education funding if Maine does not comply with his executive order and bar transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports.
wapo.st
February 22, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
nbcnews.com
JUST IN: A CDC vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for next week has been postponed, the first vaccine meeting since health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in.
A CDC vaccine committee meeting, the first of Kennedy's tenure at HHS, has been postponed
An HHS spokesperson didn’t say when the meeting would be rescheduled.
www.nbcnews.com
February 20, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
nbcnews.com
NEW: The USDA acknowledged that over the weekend, it accidentally fired "several" agency employees who are working on the federal government's response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak.

The agency adds it is trying to quickly reverse the firings.
USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them
In a statement, an Agriculture Department spokesperson told NBC News that officials are "working to swiftly rectify the situation."
www.nbcnews.com
February 18, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
kyledcheney.bsky.social
JUST IN: Another medical horror story in an affidavit from a USAID employee stationed overseas. Says his pregnant wife was not medevac-ed for emergency health care because of directives from DC. Took intervention of a U.S. senator to reverse — but was too late. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
February 18, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
drtomfrieden.bsky.social
The abrupt terminations of more than 1,000 employees, including new Epidemic Intelligence Officers, across CDC are deeply disturbing. For more than 70 years, EIS officers have served on America’s front line as its disease detectives, ready at a moment’s notice to respond to emerging outbreaks.
February 14, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
kyledcheney.bsky.social
BREAKING: A federal judge just blocked the Trump administration from canceling foreign aid contracts/awards that were in place prior to Trump's inauguration. t.co/2OBoBANkxW](s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25...)
February 14, 2025 at 2:54 AM
zarahmed.bsky.social
“Undermining trust in the federal government may actually be the real point of this.”

I said this to @npr.org because chaos is the goal. The clean energy transition (via the incentives of the Inflation Reduction Act) is a long term endeavor that requires stable policy. Chaos inhibits progress.
February 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
npr.org
Staff at the CDC are bracing for a significant reduction in the work force that appears to be targeting staff with the fewest worker protections.
Morale plummets at the CDC as staff fear job losses
Staff at the CDC are bracing for a significant reduction in the work force that appears to be targeting staff with the fewest worker protections.
www.npr.org
February 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
nbcnews.com
Federal health workers are expressing fear and alarm after a website called “DEI Watch List” published the photos, names and public information of a number of workers across health agencies, describing them as “targets.”
Federal health workers terrified after ‘DEI’ website publishes list of ‘targets’
The site calls out workers who have been involved with DEI initiatives. A majority are Black.
www.nbcnews.com
February 5, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
nytimes.com
Unions representing federal workers sued the Treasury Department and its head, Scott Bessent, on Monday in an effort to block Elon Musk and his team from accessing the federal payment system.
Unions Sue to Block Musk’s Access to Treasury Payment Data
The suit was the latest effort by unions representing federal workers to push back against Trump administration directives aimed at undermining the federal bureaucracy.
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
jbendery.bsky.social
NEW: I heard from federal employees across various agencies about the internal chaos they're experiencing because of Trump and how they feel going forward in their jobs.

A clear theme? They are scared - and also pissed off and hunkering down to fight.

"Fuck that." www.huffpost.com/entry/federa...
‘Fuck That’: Federal Workers Say They’re Scared But ‘Digging In’ Amid Trump’s Chaos
“Ironically for the Trumpies, bringing us back to the office will make us stronger morale-wise,” said one EPA employee as Trump vowed to purge civil servants.
www.huffpost.com
February 4, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
chrislhayes.bsky.social
The Trump’s campaign promise was to finish the job they started on Jan 6 and this is what it looks like.
February 4, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
kyledcheney.bsky.social
JUST IN: A federal judge in Washington says she's concerned that the White House is still implementing the spending freeze that she and a Rhode Island judge have ordered temporarily halted.

Judge AliKhan is inclined to issue a restraining order.
February 3, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
propublica.org
During Trump's first term, some EPA scientists said managers encouraged them to delete evidence of chemicals’ harms, including cancer, miscarriage and neurological problems, from their reports. In some cases, they said, the managers deleted the information themselves.

(Published Sept. 2024)
EPA Scientists Said They Were Pressured to Downplay Harms From Chemicals. A Watchdog Found They Were Retaliated Against.
Three reports issued by the agency’s inspector general detailed personal attacks suffered by the scientists — including being called “stupid,” “piranhas” and “pot-stirrers” — and called on the EPA to…
propub.li
February 3, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
agawande.bsky.social
My @newyorker.com piece on the ongoing, likely unconstitutional funding freeze at USAID now imperiling millions: “This is not a pause. It is a destruction.”

USAID is also where the Administration is testing out its playbook for eviscerating other agencies.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Behind the Chaotic Attempt to Freeze Federal Assistance
The potential for devastation is made plain by another order, concerning the crucial work of U.S.A.I.D.
www.newyorker.com
January 31, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Zara Ahmed
jezebeldotcom.bsky.social
In 2023, six children under 12 were among at least 100 minors who had to leave Texas to have abortions.
www.jezebel.com/texas-aborti...
Texas' Abortion Ban Is Forcing Children Under 12 to Travel Out-of-State for Care
In 2023, six children under 12 were among at least 100 minors who had to leave Texas to have abortions.
www.jezebel.com
January 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM