10 Rules for Post-Election Conversations

When Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election last week, emotions spiked to feverish levels. Some people celebrated until they were hoarse; others lost their voice from shouting into the void or at those very revelers. Few on opposite sides knew how to talk to each other, at least in any way that felt productive, … Read more

Who Decides Who Leads U.S. Health Agencies?

There has been a lot of back and forth over actions that President-elect Trump will take in his second term, not least of which involve health. As the president who oversaw the COVID-19 response—which public-health experts say was lacking in many ways, aside from the development of vaccines—Trump has made sweeping statements about what the … Read more

What Donald Trump’s Win Could Mean for Vaccines

President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris means U.S. health policy may soon be shaped, at least in part, by one of the country’s most notorious vaccine skeptics: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At this point, no one knows exactly what Trump’s second term will mean for vaccine policy or health policy more broadly. … Read more

The Science Behind Fluoride in Drinking Water

Donald Trump’s second term may threaten what’s lauded as one of the top public-health triumphs of the 20th century: adding fluoride, a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay, to drinking water. That’s due to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the notorious vaccine skeptic whom Trump has said will play a big role in health care in … Read more