Joe Nocera: CDC still getting interference. This time from teachers
Bloomberg Opinion (TNS)
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In 1983, a scientist named Bill Foege resigned as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He did so, Michael Lewis tells us in his new book, “The Premonition,” because after CDC researchers had discovered a connection between aspirin and Reye’s syndrome in children, the aspirin manufacturers complained to the White House. President Ronald Reagan’s administration responded by telling the CDC to “cease and desist,” according to Foege. So he quit.
Foege was a career CDC scientist the last career agency employee to hold the title of director. Every director since then has been a political appointee “plucked from the supporters of whichever politician happened to occupy the White House” whom the president could fire at will. Thus did the CDC go from being an agency focused solely on science to one focused as much or more on politics. As Lewi
.
The New York Post this week published details of email exchanges between officials of the American Federation of Teachers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the CDC’s school reopening guidelines, which were released in February. The emails were obtained by a conservative policy group through the Freedom of Information Act and provided to the Post.
“We were able to review a copy of the draft guidance document over the weekend and were able to provide some initial feedback to several staff this morning about possible ways to strengthen the document,” wrote Kelly Trautner, AFT’s senior director for health issues, in a Feb. 1 email cited by the Post. She referred to the union as the CDC’s “thought partner.”
Jen Psaki for governor
May 5, 20211:31 pm
If being a White House press secretary who didn’t hold press briefings and regurgitated lies of her boss is sufficient to be elected governor of Arkansas…
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…. how about a press secretary who meets frequently with reporters, tells the truth and dishes it up hot and tasty.
One example:
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Jen Psaki on Mitch McConnell’s comment that all of his focus is on stopping the Biden administration: “I guess the contrast for people to consider is 100 percent of our focus is on delivering relief for the American people.” pic.twitter.com/gRhlSCq89Z
By Premiere Networks
May 3, 2021
KEN: I was talking to Ali and some of the other EIB team members. I just can t comprehend how quickly news changes in our current environment. When you have this many liars in powerful positions whether it s network news or Joe and Jill Biden that s part of the reason. You know, I never thought I d say this, but I almost feel bad for some people in the news media.
Yeah, I know I never thought it would come out of my mouth. Because not only do they have to cover-up on a regular basis for the people that they need to protect and they have to put stories on the back burner and not cover things that are happening, they know they re covering liars, and they ve gotta try to maintain credibility, and they re not telling the truth.