YOU’VE GOT MAIL
Just one month after nine former C.D.C. directors slammed R.F.K. Jr. in a New York Times op-ed, six former U.S. surgeon generals have issued a strongly worded letter of their own in The Washington Post. The authors—including Jerome Adams, the surgeon general during Trump’s first term, and Richard Carmona, who served under George W. Bush—claimed they could no longer ignore the “profound, immediate and unprecedented threat” of the health secretary’s policies, which they claim are “endangering the health of the nation.” Carmona, in a separate statement, advised Americans to “disregard” what R.F.K. Jr. says and consult their doctors instead. R.F.K. Jr. himself might agree with that advice. After all, he did try to warn Congress back in May: “People shouldn’t take medical advice from me.”
A CUT ABOVE THE REST
As Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff secured the long-awaited Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Egypt, one member of the Orange Operation left at home made sure to share his own historic and equally important update. “There are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism,” R.F.K. Jr. announced at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. The reason? Oh, here we go again. “It’s highly likely because they were given Tylenol.” He then went on to accuse a pregnant woman “with a baby in her placenta” (yep, you read that right) of “gobbling Tylenol” just to spite Trump.
SHOTS FIRED
This week, the C.D.C. issued new guidance around the coronavirus vaccine, clearing up confusion over who’s eligible after a muddled rollout earlier this fall. Basically, a blanket recommendation to vaccinate against the virus that once shut down the world is no more. Instead, the C.D.C. is leaving the choice up to individuals, who are advised to consult a doctor or pharmacist before rolling up their sleeves.
TO BEET OR NOT TO BEET?
America’s sugar-beet farmers have taken a battering thanks to weight-loss drugs (which are driving down food consumption) and tariffs (which are driving up equipment costs). Now R.F.K. Jr.’s war on sugar—the heart of his MAHA movement—may be the nail in the coffin. In the past year, which includes when he called sugar “poison” in April, sugar-beet prices have fallen by 33 percent as compared to last year; farmers have planted their smallest sugar-beet acreage since 1982; and a nearly century-old plant in California shuttered permanently. Sugar-beet growers, for their part, claim sugar in moderation is healthy, and that the secretary should focus on artificial sweeteners instead.
Carolina de Armas and Paulina Prosnitz are Junior Editors at Air Mail
