CDC Died

On November 20th, 2025, the CDC effectively died. The current administration under crank and former brain worm host RFK Jr. has changed the CDC website to openly suggest that vaccines are linked with autism. The public trust, whatever was left of it, in the public health institution of the United State is catastrophically lost.

This made me as sad as November of last year, when roughly a third of America for all the wrong reasons elected an unstable incompetent brain rot of a man as president, essentially holding the rest of America (and to some degree the world) hostage with their ignorance and bigotry. I had to take a break from the podcast similar to how I took a break last year after the election. However, thanks to being ahead on editing, the upload didn't stop.

I did some deep reflection over last few days. At first, I thought about quitting the podcast, but quickly recognized this is just the feeling of hopelessness that accompanies all depressive episodes. If I feel hopeless, then that means the fascists win and therefore I cannot feel hopeless. I have to keep going, even by spite alone. However, I still contemplated on stopping podcasting because perhaps my resistance can be more effective if I spent my time doing other actions than talking into a mic. It's not like this podcast is groundbreaking or widely influential in anyway. So many people are constantly publishing their opinions in print, audio, and video, what I'm doing must be akin to salting the ocean. Why even do this? Why add my insignificant voice to an already noisy world? There are so many other podcasts, video essayists, and journalists who can (and do) do this much better than I ever could. Why compete with them? Especially in the attention economy where it seems like everyone is trying to capture our already tattered attention, is it perhaps irresponsible for me to be one of those people trying to get attention?

To be honestly, I don't have a good answer. All I know is that I enjoy the process of making a podcast, and if enjoying the process is a good enough reason for hobbies like crocheting, why can't it be enough for podcasting? When I started this podcast years ago, I was content to just do it for myself even if no one hears it. That hasn't changed. Plus, now is not the time for silence.

Over the last 11 months, we have witness first hand just how destructive this second term is. I could list the crimes here, but this post would be obnoxiously long. Plus, I'd wager if you're the few people following this ultra niche public health indie podcast you're likely similar to me in terms of news consumption and are aware of all antics of this white nationalist, fascist kakistocracy. This regime is committing mass murder with extra steps. The fact that a private billionaire tech bro is able to pay his way into federal government and conduct mass firing in the name of "efficiency" therefore killing USAID and causing millions of death across the world and also decapitating one of the most critical arm of soft power is just one example of such mass murder. What RFK Jr. and his vile groupies are doing to vaccines is another example. To quote another podcast, public health is dead. I am done biting my tongue. I certainly can't stand the mainstream media constantly trying to sanewash and normalize this regime's immoral actions. Now that the podcast is split into Everything is Public Health and Public Health is for Everyone, I have a space to be more candid without compromising the main show's tone featuring Cass (she is a public figure after all).

Despite public health being dead, the people who believe in it are not. This podcast, and all the other new podcasts it spawns, will continue. I don't expect to make a difference, but I cannot imagine not speaking up for public health now, however insignificant my voice may be. Thank you so much for listening and believing in public health. Remember that it is our moral duty to not lose hope, because hopelessness is a concession to evil. Outlive them out of spite.

Stay tuned.

MJ