Joshua S. Weitz | Lightnews

Joshua Weitz

@joshuasweitz.bsky.social

9.8K followers 2.9K following 1.9K posts

Professor of Biology & Institute for Health Computing, U of Maryland; explores how viruses impact human and environmental health; 'Asymptomatic' (JHU Press, 10/2024) & 'Quantitative Biosciences' (Princeton U Press, 3/2024) & 'Science Matters' substack. .. more

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Joshua S. Weitz is an American biologist. He is both a professor of biology and the Clark Leadership Chair in Data Analytics at the University of Maryland. Previously, he was a professor at Georgia Tech, where he was the founding director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences. In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. .. more

Biology 28%

Environmental science 26%

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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · Sep 24

New from #SCIMaP - analysis of the White House’s Proposed FY 2026 National Science Foundation Budget.

Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide.

Report: osf.io/e8rnc

a 🧵

Economic loss from the White House's NSF FY 2026 Proposed Budget

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 5h

Preferential treatment has become the rallying cry to say no.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Mallory Harris, PhD @malar0ne.bsky.social · 11h

I spoke to CNN about how demoralizing it was to watch Stanford leadership stay silent while contrarians on campus launched unscientific attacks to stifle Stanford researchers. Now, those attacks have gone nationwide and much of MAHA leadership have ties to Stanford.

www.cnn.com/2025/11/08/p...

The Trump-MAHA-Stanford nexus of US health policy | CNN Politics

In early 2022, Stanford medical student Santiago Sanchez set out to organize a campus debate with Jay Bhattacharya — a professor at the university whose outspoken denunciations of pandemic lockdowns m...

www.cnn.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz, Juan Cole, Smith , and 2 more Joshua S. Weitz, Juan Cole, Smith, Alan Richardson, Robert Wolfe

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 14h

Canada has just lost measles elimination status. The U.S. will undoubtedly follow shortly.

Elimination means that there is no continuous spreading of measles within the country for a year or longer.

Canada and the U.S. have blown it, and it’s largely the fault of the anti-vaccination movement.

Canada loses measles elimination status after three decades, health agency says

Canada has lost its measles elimination status after nearly three decades due to its failure to curb a year-long outbreak, the country's public health agency said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 14h

If you are listening to MAHA when thinking about public health "reform" then really listen to what they want:

"I’ve come to this anti-vax conference with a message that we need to be more boldly anti-vax,” said Mark Gorton, the president of the MAHA Institute.

🎁
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...

Emboldened, Kennedy Allies Embrace a Label They Once Rejected: ‘Anti-Vax’

www.nytimes.com

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 1d

That's not quite what one might call taking responsibility.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 1d

Does Sen. Cassidy, a strong proponent of #vaccines, regret voting to confirm RFK Jr. as health secretary? “I just have to quote Kierkegaard — You live life forward,” is his reply.
That's not a "No."
@kathmacphail.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/b...

Cassidy drops into Liver Meeting to talk of shutdown, insurance overhaul and vaccines

Dropping in at the Liver Meeting, Senator Bill Cassidy argues for federally funded Flexible Spending Accounts over ACA subsidies and laments the state of vaccination.

www.statnews.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 1d

Cassidy drops into Liver Meeting to talk of shutdown, insurance overhaul and vaccines

Dropping in at the Liver Meeting, Senator Bill Cassidy argues for federally funded Flexible Spending Accounts over ACA subsidies and laments the state of vaccination.

www.statnews.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

“.. The Agriculture Department issued the command in a late-night Saturday memo .. That guidance threatened to impose financial penalties on states that did not “comply” quickly with the government’s new orders.”

@tonyromm.bsky.social #SNAP
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Colette Delawalla @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 1d

*deadpan*

This is particularly enraging because 1) @standupforscience.bsky.social is doing a LOT against RFK Jr/MAHA and we are just getting started and 2) because I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIS WRITERS AND PRODUCER.

@thedailyshow.com hit me up!

A pic of CEO of stand up for science, Colette Delawalla, in front of 150k sigs to remove RFK jr at HHS LAST WEEK.

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Michael Barnett, Michael S. Rosenberg , and 30 more Jason Mittell, Michael Barnett, Michael S. Rosenberg, Jesse M. Shapiro, Delphine K. Farmer, Joshua S. Weitz, John R. Hutchinson, Scott L. Greer, Stacie B. Dusetzina, Steven French, Megan L. Ranney, Rosemary A. Joyce, Mark E. Schaffer, Amir Attaran, Dawn J. Wright, Paul E. Smaldino, Kevin Carey, Bonnie Honig, Smith, Rebecca Tushnet, Michael W. Kraus, David Merrett, W. Andy Knight, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Brian Keegan, Sarah Roberts, Lisa Diedrich, Ann Bartow, Catherine J. Frieman, Michael Larkin, Aviel Roshwald, Carly D. Ziter, Shan Kothari

Brittany Trang @brittanytrang.com · 2d

A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.

Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."

Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫

James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers

James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.

www.statnews.com

Reposted by Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 3d

"[P]rocedurally, had she denied the request, the Justice Department could have gone to another justice.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, by issuing the order herself, she was able to set the limits."

👇

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 3d

Updated report at Law Dork is published now here:

Justice Jackson temporarily blocks SNAP benefits order to allow appeals court to rule

DOJ asked SCOTUS for a stay as USDA was in the middle of completing its process for making full payments. Update: Jackson's order came a little past 9 p.m.

www.lawdork.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz, Lisa Diedrich

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 3d

Updated report at Law Dork is published now here:

Justice Jackson temporarily blocks SNAP benefits order to allow appeals court to rule

DOJ asked SCOTUS for a stay as USDA was in the middle of completing its process for making full payments. Update: Jackson's order came a little past 9 p.m.

www.lawdork.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz, Daniel W. Drezner, James Goodwin , and 1 more Joshua S. Weitz, Daniel W. Drezner, James Goodwin, Dunlap

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 3d

BREAKING: DOJ goes to SCOTUS trying to stop a district court order that USDA pay out full SNAP benefits this month.

The First Circuit denied an administrative stay, but has not yet ruled on the stay request. And, CNN reported that USDA is already processing payments.

DOJ went to SCOTUS anyway.

In the Supreme Court of the United States
BROOKE ROLLINS, SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, ET AL., APPLICANTS
RHODE ISLAND STATE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES, ET AL.
APPLICATION TO STAY THE ORDERS
ISSUED BY THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF RHODE ISLAND
AND REQUEST FOR AN IMMEDIATE ADMINISTRATIVE STAY BY 9:30PM
D. JOHN SAUER
Solicitor General
Counsel of Record
Department of Justice

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Joshua S. Weitz, John Palfrey , and 1 more Anna O. Law, Joshua S. Weitz, John Palfrey, Peter Bergman

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 3d

#BREAKING: The Trump administration is asking #SCOTUS for an immediate “administrative” stay of a Rhode Island district judge’s order that is otherwise requiring it to resume the distribution of SNAP benefits from other funding sources no later than the end of today.

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 3d

See below for less subtlety.

More folks will have to ask groups like @scholars.org that uncritically amplify the arguments of In Covid's Wake precisely what they are doing. Is it that they didn't read what the authors wrote, actually agree, or are just 'getting along'?

bsky.app/profile/josh...

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · Aug 26

"COVID Revisionism Has Gone Too Far"

Ya think?

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Fascinating given that "In Covid's Wake" is unable to grapple with (i) the extent of COVID mortality and morbidity; (ii) lives saved due to interventions; (iii) missed opportunities to align health + the economy.

COVID Revisionism Has Gone Too Far

If the center and left succumb to the view that “nothing worked,” no one will remain to defend sensible public-health measures the next time a pandemic comes around.

www.theatlantic.com

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 3d

It's definitely a choice @scholars.org

Feel free to dive in:
joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/revisionis...

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Josh Moody @byjoshmoody.bsky.social · 3d

www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Cornell Settles with the Trump Administration

Cornell will pay out $30 million and invest another $30 million in agricultural research. In exchange the federal government will restore research funding and close investigations.

www.insidehighered.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 3d

Director Bhattacharya decided to weigh in on X/Twitter about the impact of the government shutdown.

He (not surprisingly) focuses on the impact of the MAHA agenda. Of course, delays of research for months (which could be minimized by NIH with planning) will have little effect on MAHA actions

1/5

Tweet from NIH Director Bhattacharya about the government shutdown and its potential impact on the MAHA agenda.

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Theo Sanderson @theo.io · 4d

GISAID on providing data to @Nextstrain.org: "After consulting with our staff and advisors on the feasibility of keeping your global tree up-to-date, there was a clear consensus that continuing to generate, zip and move big files back and forth is not sustainable and a waste of resources."
🙃

Nextstrain: Interruption to GISAID-based SARS-CoV-2 sequence analyses

Nextstrain blog post from 2025-11-06; author(s): Trevor Bedford, Richard Neher and the Nextstrain team

next.nextstrain.org

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Joshua S. Weitz, Tom Clark , and 3 more Michael E. Mann, Joshua S. Weitz, Tom Clark, John Horgan, Sanford F. Schram, Greg Linden

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 4d

HAPPENING NOW: Judge McConnell is sharply rebuking the Trump administration for what he said was defying his order to make full SNAP payments by Nov. 5. He has ordered USDA to make the *full* payment to states by tomorrow.