HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

June 25, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Concerned about US vaccine misinformation and access, public health experts start Vaccine Integrity Project (CNN)
• The plan to vaccinate all Americans, despite RFK Jr. (Washington Post)
• FDA OKs New Shot to Protect Babies Against RSV (WebMD)
• US judge invalidates Biden rule protecting privacy for abortions (Reuters)
• RFK Jr. removes all current members of CDC vaccine advisory committee (CNN)
• Health officials tracking new COVID-19 variant as confusion grows over vaccine recommendations (AP)
• RFK Jr. sent Congress 'medical disinformation' to defend COVID vaccine schedule change (KFF Health Services)
•  This is how you stop data trackers from sucking up your health data (KPBS)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• AI system resorts to blackmail if told it will be removed (BBC)
• Leading AI models sometimes refuse to shut down when ordered (ZME Science)
• From the Andes to the Beginning of Time: Telescopes Detect 13-Billion-Year-Old Signal (Science Daily)
• Google’s $125 million deal with California for local news is already shrinking (Cal Matters)
• Trump sons unveil mobile carrier promising to 'disrupt' the industry, make phones in America (Yahoo/Fox)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click  “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

Concerned about US vaccine misinformation and access, public health experts start Vaccine Integrity Project (CNN)

Concerned that the nation’s health leadership is casting unfounded doubt on the safety of well-studied vaccines and may take action to curb their use, a group of public health experts is working to put pieces in place to respond.

The plan to vaccinate all Americans, despite RFK Jr. (Washington Post)

The effort comes as the Trump administration has replaced members of the key federal vaccine advisory panel.  Professional medical societies, pharmacists, state health officials and vaccine manufacturers, as well as a new advocacy group, are mobilizing behind the scenes to preserve access for vaccines as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. works to upend the nation’s decades-old vaccine system, according to public health experts.  The groups are discussing ordering vaccines directly from manufacturers and giving greater weight to vaccine recommendations from medical associations. And they are asking insurance companies to continue covering shots based on professional societies’ guidance instead of the federal government’s, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the conversations, including some who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private discussions.

FDA OKs New Shot to Protect Babies Against RSV (WebMD)

The FDA has approved a new shot to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in babies during their first RSV season, which typically lasts from fall through spring.  Clesrovimab, which is sold as Enflonsia, is the first and only RSV protection for babies that uses the same dose for all infants, regardless of their body weight.

US judge invalidates Biden rule protecting privacy for abortions (Reuters)

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a rule adopted by the administration of former President Joe Biden that strengthened privacy protections for women seeking abortions and patients who receive gender transition treatments.  U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its powers and unlawfully limited states' ability to enforce their public health laws when it adopted the rule last year.

RFK Jr. removes all current members of CDC vaccine advisory committee (CNN)

US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday dismissed an expert panel of vaccine advisers that has historically guided the federal government’s vaccine recommendations, saying the group is “plagued with conflicts of interest.”

Health officials tracking new COVID-19 variant as confusion grows over vaccine recommendations (AP)

NB.1.8.1, also known as Nimbus, is a new COVID-19 variant that’s responsible for a surge in cases in Asia. It is spreading worldwide but does not necessarily cause more severe disease.

RFK Jr. sent Congress 'medical disinformation' to defend COVID vaccine schedule change (KFF Health Services)

A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to lawmakers to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to change U.S. policy on COVID vaccines cites scientific studies that are unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterizes others. / One health expert called the document "willful medical disinformation" about the safety of COVID vaccines for children and pregnant women.

 This is how you stop data trackers from sucking up your health data (KPBS)

In April, The Markup and CalMatters found that Covered California, the state of California’s healthcare exchange, was sending the personal health information of its users to LinkedIn. The news triggered a class-action lawsuit and questions from federal lawmakers. In June, a Markup investigation further revealed that exchanges maintained by four other states have also leaked visitors’ sensitive health data.

SCIENCE AND TECH

AI system resorts to blackmail if told it will be removed (BBC)

Artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic says testing of its new system revealed it is sometimes willing to pursue "extremely harmful actions" such as attempting to blackmail engineers who say they will remove it.

Leading AI models sometimes refuse to shut down when ordered (ZME Science)

Models trained to solve problems are now learning to survive—even if we tell them not to.

From the Andes to the Beginning of Time: Telescopes Detect 13-Billion-Year-Old Signal (Science Daily)

Astronomers have pulled off an unprecedented feat: detecting ultra-faint light from the Big Bang using ground-based telescopes. This polarized light scattered by the universe's very first stars over 13 billion years ago offers a new lens into the Cosmic Dawn.

Google’s $125 million deal with California for local news is already shrinking (Cal Matters)

Google and California struck a deal last year to fund local news. Now the state is pulling back some of its commitments. Google could follow suit.

Trump sons unveil mobile carrier promising to 'disrupt' the industry, make phones in America (Yahoo/Fox)

Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump on Monday unveiled "Trump Mobile," a new carrier service and technology company that they say will make phones in America.  During an event at Trump Tower in Manhattan, President Donald Trump's sons said the company would offer 24/7 roadside assistance, unlimited texting and unlimited calling to over 100 countries at no extra cost to the consumer. Telemedicine is also included in the flat monthly fee, allowing customers to have doctors virtually write them prescriptions without any extra cost.