Liz Szabo
@lizszabo.bsky.social
She/her. Award-winning health and science journalist. Investigative reporter at CIDRAP News. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/all-news
Pinned
Liz Szabo
@lizszabo.bsky.social
· Apr 1
Transgender patients and their health providers fear worsening discrimination
Surveys show that mistreatment of transgender patients is common, sometimes leading them to delay or avoid seeking health care.
www.nbcnews.com
In his first term, Trump reversed an Obama-era nondiscrimination rule for transgender patients. Although Trump hasn’t yet issued a new rule, a web page created by the Biden administration, which explained legal protections for transgender patients, is now blank.
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...
Reposted by Liz Szabo
A lot of people didn’t like the Washington Post journalist who was tortured and dismembered with a bone saw for writing critically about the man sitting next to me
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 18, 2025 at 5:51 PM
A lot of people didn’t like the Washington Post journalist who was tortured and dismembered with a bone saw for writing critically about the man sitting next to me
Reposted by Liz Szabo
THIS IS HUGE! Researchers have just identified a powerful new antibiotic that is 100x STRONGER than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA and VRE. Hiding in a well-known soil bacterium, pre-methylenomycin C lactone KILLS drug-resistant bacteria WITHOUT triggering resistance.
November 16, 2025 at 7:30 PM
THIS IS HUGE! Researchers have just identified a powerful new antibiotic that is 100x STRONGER than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA and VRE. Hiding in a well-known soil bacterium, pre-methylenomycin C lactone KILLS drug-resistant bacteria WITHOUT triggering resistance.
Reposted by Liz Szabo
How Vaccines Work 🧬🧫🧪🔬💉🥽
November 18, 2025 at 5:00 PM
How Vaccines Work 🧬🧫🧪🔬💉🥽
Reposted by Liz Szabo
The Trump administration will provide a HIV-prevention drug to countries most affected by the disease in a push to end the spread of the virus that causes AIDS, but won't provide it to South Africa, which has the world’s largest HIV-positive population.
Trump HIV prevention plan shuts out South Africa — the nation most affected
Administration officials say South Africa has “significant means” to fund a promising new drug, lenacapavir, on its own. Critics call the move self-defeating.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The Trump administration will provide a HIV-prevention drug to countries most affected by the disease in a push to end the spread of the virus that causes AIDS, but won't provide it to South Africa, which has the world’s largest HIV-positive population.
Reposted by Liz Szabo
Alaska legislators are raising concerns that a federal directive to prepare the Alaska National Guard to deploy domestically for civil unrest could divert service members from disaster relief, report @alaskabeacon.com and @statesnewsroom.com
Legislators question federal directive for Alaska National Guard to prepare for “civil disturbance” | Alaska Beacon
Alaska legislators with the state Joint Armed Services Committee are raising concerns that a federal directive to prepare the Alaska National Guard to deploy domestically for civil unrest could…
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Alaska legislators are raising concerns that a federal directive to prepare the Alaska National Guard to deploy domestically for civil unrest could divert service members from disaster relief, report @alaskabeacon.com and @statesnewsroom.com
USDA chief Brooke Rollins said all SNAP beneficiaries will have to reapply, claiming widespread fraud despite data showing minimal increases in enrollment.
Millions of Americans who depend on food stamps are about to face a major hurdle
USDA chief Brooke Rollins said all SNAP beneficiaries will have to reapply, claiming widespread fraud despite data showing minimal increases in enrollment.
www.oregonlive.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Liz Szabo
As temperatures drop, I urge New Yorkers to know their rights to heat and hot water services, and to reach out to my office if their rights are being violated.
No New Yorker should be left without their home utilities as days and nights grow colder.
No New Yorker should be left without their home utilities as days and nights grow colder.
November 18, 2025 at 6:22 PM
As temperatures drop, I urge New Yorkers to know their rights to heat and hot water services, and to reach out to my office if their rights are being violated.
No New Yorker should be left without their home utilities as days and nights grow colder.
No New Yorker should be left without their home utilities as days and nights grow colder.
Reposted by Liz Szabo
Insurance companies are dropping customers as the cost of disasters goes up. Some communities in California are working to reduce their risk, but so far, insurance companies often aren't factoring that in. n.pr/43DY1bj
Communities are reducing wildfire risk. Will their insurance bills go down?
Insurance companies are dropping customers as the cost of disasters goes up. Some communities in California are working to reduce their risk, but so far, insurance companies often aren't factoring that in.
n.pr
November 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Insurance companies are dropping customers as the cost of disasters goes up. Some communities in California are working to reduce their risk, but so far, insurance companies often aren't factoring that in. n.pr/43DY1bj
Reposted by Liz Szabo
And there we go—Trump threatens ABC News:
Trump in response to an Epstein question: "ABC, your company, your crappy company is one of the perpetrators. I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and so wrong. And we have a great commissioner, a chairman, who should take a look at that."
November 18, 2025 at 6:17 PM
And there we go—Trump threatens ABC News:
Reposted by Liz Szabo
This is a must-read: www.propublica.org/article/bird...
What the U.S. Government Is Dismissing That Could Seed a Bird Flu Pandemic
Egg producers suspect bird flu is traveling through the air. After a disastrous Midwestern outbreak early this year, we tested that theory and found that where the wind blew, the virus followed. Vacci...
www.propublica.org
November 18, 2025 at 5:11 PM
This is a must-read: www.propublica.org/article/bird...
Not going to read this because I am really looking forward to seeing it and don’t want to spoil the experience.
If the first ‘Wicked’ centered Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, ‘Wicked: For Good’ leans more toward Ariana Grande’s Glinda, who delivers a genuinely great performance.
Wicked: For Good Is Actually Better Than the First
If the first ‘Wicked’ centered Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, ‘Wicked: For Good’ leans more toward Ariana Grande’s Glinda, who delivers a genuinely great performance.
www.vulture.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Not going to read this because I am really looking forward to seeing it and don’t want to spoil the experience.
Reposted by Liz Szabo
Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday.
Federal court blocks Texas from using new congressional gerrymander in 2026 midterms
The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and nationally, who pushed through this unusual mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump.
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday.
Reposted by Liz Szabo
After immigration officials arrested more than 130 people in Charlotte, some churches have reported being half empty, with many residents and business owners of North Carolina’s largest city on edge.
Immigration arrests in Charlotte have sparked fears, leading businesses to close
After immigration officials arrested more than 130 people, some churches report being half empty, an after-school program canceled activities and one U.S. citizen said he started carrying his passport.
nbcnews.to
November 18, 2025 at 6:20 PM
After immigration officials arrested more than 130 people in Charlotte, some churches have reported being half empty, with many residents and business owners of North Carolina’s largest city on edge.
Reposted by Liz Szabo
“Johnson dangled the prospect that one of the children could receive money because, Johnson claimed, he was entitled to $10 million as part of reparations for his January 6 arrest, according to a police report from a Hernando County Sheriff’s Dept. detective.”
One of his victims was 11 years old.
One of his victims was 11 years old.
Andrew Johnson — a Jan. 6 rioter who went by "Am🇺🇸rican T🇺🇸rrorist” on Elon Musk’s platform — has been arrested on child molestation charges, with police saying he used the promise of a taxpayer-funded payout from Trump's DOJ to try and keep one of the victims silent.
theintercept.com/2025/11/17/p...
theintercept.com/2025/11/17/p...
Pardoned Capitol Rioter Tried to Hush Child Sex Victim With Promise of Jan. 6 Reparation Money, Police Say
Pardoned Capitol rioter Andrew Johnson tried to keep a child sex abuse victim quiet with claimed $10 million Jan. 6 reparations, police say.
theintercept.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
“Johnson dangled the prospect that one of the children could receive money because, Johnson claimed, he was entitled to $10 million as part of reparations for his January 6 arrest, according to a police report from a Hernando County Sheriff’s Dept. detective.”
One of his victims was 11 years old.
One of his victims was 11 years old.
Pharmalittle: We’rereading about warnings from vaccine makers, the U.K. standoff with pharma, and more www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20... via @statnews.com
Pharmalittle: We're reading about warnings from vaccine makers, the U.K. standoff with pharma, and more
U.S. health authorities are considering how they might discourage or even ban vaccines that rely on a common ingredient to boost their effectiveness
www.statnews.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Pharmalittle: We’rereading about warnings from vaccine makers, the U.K. standoff with pharma, and more www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20... via @statnews.com
Reposted by Liz Szabo
Some of the very programs the Make America Healthy Again movement has said were the key to improving children’s health are now facing cuts by the Trump administration.
19thnews.org/2025/11/make...
19thnews.org/2025/11/make...
The U.S. wants healthier children. So why is it scaling back its nutrition programs?
Some of the very programs the Make America Healthy Again movement has said were the key to improving children’s health are now facing cuts by the Trump administration.
19thnews.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Some of the very programs the Make America Healthy Again movement has said were the key to improving children’s health are now facing cuts by the Trump administration.
19thnews.org/2025/11/make...
19thnews.org/2025/11/make...
A friend who is a single mom of three kids said her marketplace plan (aka the ACA or Obamacare) will increase in cost by $4,500 this year. She is a public health researcher who lost her job due to USAID cuts
KEEP SHARING YOUR STORIES about increased ACA premiums due to the disappearance of subsidies. The stories clearly are having an impact, they help people feel less helpless, and they create solidarity that leads to action.
Mine went from $395→ $821. What happened for you?
Mine went from $395→ $821. What happened for you?
November 18, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A friend who is a single mom of three kids said her marketplace plan (aka the ACA or Obamacare) will increase in cost by $4,500 this year. She is a public health researcher who lost her job due to USAID cuts
This is nuts. AI just keeps getting scarier.
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors.
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
This is nuts. AI just keeps getting scarier.
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
Job Alert! @publiccitizen.bsky.social is hiring an investigative health reporter.
publiccitizen.applytojob.com/apply/RCztM0...
publiccitizen.applytojob.com/apply/RCztM0...
Senior Investigator - Public Citizen - Career Page
Apply to Senior Investigator at Public Citizen in Washington, DC.
publiccitizen.applytojob.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Job Alert! @publiccitizen.bsky.social is hiring an investigative health reporter.
publiccitizen.applytojob.com/apply/RCztM0...
publiccitizen.applytojob.com/apply/RCztM0...
I would not travel with an infant who hasn't had a measles shot, usualy given at 12 mos. Babies can be vaccinated at 6 months during outbreaks, but they will still need their two regular shots at 1 yr and 4-6 ys. Babies under 6 mos are realy vulnerable. www.healthychildren.org/English/safe....
November 18, 2025 at 5:03 PM
I would not travel with an infant who hasn't had a measles shot, usualy given at 12 mos. Babies can be vaccinated at 6 months during outbreaks, but they will still need their two regular shots at 1 yr and 4-6 ys. Babies under 6 mos are realy vulnerable. www.healthychildren.org/English/safe....
Actually, my family and I will be flying over Thanksgiving and I'm not worried, bc we're all vaccinated against everything. I think the only folks who need to worry about measles/whooping cough/flu/covid are , or immunocompromised people or famlies of babies too young for their first shots.
Happy Thanksgiving travels, y'all ... 😬
C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for the First Time www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
November 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Actually, my family and I will be flying over Thanksgiving and I'm not worried, bc we're all vaccinated against everything. I think the only folks who need to worry about measles/whooping cough/flu/covid are , or immunocompromised people or famlies of babies too young for their first shots.
Have changes to CDC guidelines influenced Americans’ COVID-19 vaccine decisions? www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Have changes to CDC guidelines influenced Americans’ COVID-19 vaccine decisions?
A majority of U.S. adults (59%) say they don’t want to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
www.pewresearch.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Have changes to CDC guidelines influenced Americans’ COVID-19 vaccine decisions? www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
How Do Americans View Childhood Vaccines, Vaccine Research and Policy?
Nearly two-thirds have high confidence in vaccine effectiveness, and about half trust their safety testing and schedule; Republican support for school vaccine requirements continues to slide www.pewresearch.org/science/2025...
Nearly two-thirds have high confidence in vaccine effectiveness, and about half trust their safety testing and schedule; Republican support for school vaccine requirements continues to slide www.pewresearch.org/science/2025...
How Do Americans View Childhood Vaccines, Vaccine Research and Policy?
A majority of Americans say childhood vaccines are effective at preventing illness, but slightly fewer are confident that the vaccine schedule is safe.
www.pewresearch.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:55 PM
How Do Americans View Childhood Vaccines, Vaccine Research and Policy?
Nearly two-thirds have high confidence in vaccine effectiveness, and about half trust their safety testing and schedule; Republican support for school vaccine requirements continues to slide www.pewresearch.org/science/2025...
Nearly two-thirds have high confidence in vaccine effectiveness, and about half trust their safety testing and schedule; Republican support for school vaccine requirements continues to slide www.pewresearch.org/science/2025...
C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for the First Time www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for the First Time
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:41 PM
C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for the First Time www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
Reposted by Liz Szabo
The Trump admin estimated that the government would save $8.97 billion annually because people would drop out of Medicaid and other benefit programs due to the new policy — including “aliens as well as U.S. citizens who are members of mixed-status households.”
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump revives policy penalizing immigrants for using safety net programs
The public charge rule makes it harder for legal Medicaid enrollees to obtain a green card.
www.politico.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:09 AM
The Trump admin estimated that the government would save $8.97 billion annually because people would drop out of Medicaid and other benefit programs due to the new policy — including “aliens as well as U.S. citizens who are members of mixed-status households.”
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...