Science Under Siege: Politics vs. Public Health

The FDA is under fire for letting politics influence science. Scientists inside the agency say leaders are pushing unproven treatments, like using leucovorin for autism. Studies on leucovorin are small and weak. Big studies are needed to prove if it really works. But the FDA is skipping steps and pushing it forward anyway. This is not how science should work. Experts say the FDA should find evidence first, not the other way around. The CDC is also in trouble. They laid off staff who track health and nutrition. This data is important for fighting diseases and understanding health trends. Without it, tracking problems like obesity and chemical exposure gets harder. The CDC's goals and actions don't match up. This is not science. It's just confirming what leaders already believe. The NIH is cutting advisory committees too. These groups help guide research and ethics. Now, they're gone. This could mean less open talk about new tech and health issues. It's part of a bigger trend of cutting science expertise. The NIH says they'll find other ways to get advice. But who will watch the watchers? Meanwhile, coral reefs are dying. Warming waters are causing bleaching events. Corals expel the algae that keep them alive. If this keeps up, reefs could collapse. This is Earth's first climate tipping point. If we don't act fast, more systems could reach this point too. In New York, politics is heating up. Eric Adams dropped out of a race, calling his opponent a threat. The opponent, Zohran Mamdani, wants big changes. He's clean and untainted by corruption. He wants affordable rent, free transit, and universal childcare. This could be a big shift for New York. But will it happen?