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submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by griff@lemmings.world to c/usnews@beehaw.org

Many public health experts and scientists say they are stunned by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s decision to cancel nearly half a billion dollars in federal funding for future vaccine development. MRNA technology was central in the battle against COVID and can be developed more quickly than traditional vaccines. Geoff Bennett discussed the implications with Dr. Michael Osterholm.

The latest move comes after the Trump administration already withdrew a multimillion-dollar contract with the biotech company Moderna to develop a bird flu vaccine using what's known as mRNA technology; mRNA vaccines work by using a single strand of genetic code to create a fragment of a virus that sets off the body's immune response.

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[-] purplerabbit 5 points 1 day ago

Living in the United States right now must feel like living in an Onion article.

[-] Midnitte@beehaw.org 4 points 1 day ago

Its certainly hard to distinguish The Onion from actual news

[-] Midnitte@beehaw.org 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Similar to Colbert's joke, this is like saying we're going to be explicitly using a Nokia Actionman, instead of a Samsung Z Fold 7.

Why would you deliberately cut science off at the knees for a technology that has proven itself (after decades of research) during a global pandemic?

Just compare the mRNA covid vaccines versus the non-mRNA covid vaccine - the older technology is just an awful product in comparison.

[-] BedSharkPal@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago

Another country needs to grab all the scientists up from America so the rest of the world can move past the US. Ideally not China...

[-] griff@lemmings.world 3 points 1 day ago
[-] TehPers@beehaw.org 9 points 1 day ago

I'd be all for Mexico becoming a global technological superpower to spite the US.

[-] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 7 points 1 day ago

Americans can head down there to pick crops.

[-] EnsignWashout@startrek.website 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Americans can head down there to pick crops.

I can also mow lawns, and make a pretty decent cheeseburger. So I feel like I've got options if I'm allowed to visit seasonally to work.

(Edit: Since tone is hard in text. This is meant sincerely. I'll do what is needed to feed myself, same as any immigrant, if I'm allowed to, when the time comes. Immigrant workers deserve respect and legal protections.)

this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2025
29 points (100.0% liked)

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