A few weeks ago, Dr. Oz went on television and somewhat reluctantly told people to get their measles shot. I give a lot of credit to CNN’s Dana Bash who wouldn’t let him off the hook. She asked him about the record surge in measles cases and whether he believed that the administration’s stance on vaccines could be to blame. He replied, “We have advocated for measles vaccines all along. Secretary Kennedy has been on the very front of this.” Though the camera doesn’t pan back to Bash at that moment, we hear her say, “Oh, please,” and we can all imagine the eye roll. As we all know, the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) shot is the vaccine that started the modern-day conspiracy theory that RFK, Jr. made a career of. Bash also did not let Oz get away with turning the conversation toward the vaccine schedule overall or the irrelevant “lessons” from Europe (where they give fewer shots and have universal health care). Instead, she pointed to an X post from the anti-vaccine non-profit founded by RFK, Jr. that told parents not to fear the measles. She then asked Oz whether parents should, in fact, fear the measles. He said yes.
It’s sad that this is what counts as a strong public health message today, but it’s also possible that this is part of subtle shift away from RFK Jr.’s blitz attack on vaccines. According to reports by both POLITICO and the New York Times, the Administration is getting a little tired of Kennedy’s MAHA Road Show (which this week included him working out shirtless in jeans in a sauna with Kid Rock). Trump’s own pollster found that the recent changes to the childhood vaccine schedule are unpopular, and a KFF/Washington Post poll found that even MAHA parents think vaccines are pretty safe. This may be why the FDA walked back its earlier decision not to review Moderna’s new mRNA flu shot and why the upcoming meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—which Kennedy stacked with anti-vaxers—has been indefinitely postponed. An administration official told POLITICO that the White House wants Kennedy to stop talking about shots and focus on nutrition policy and the ways in which Trump is bringing down drug prices. (Of course, it’s not clear if Trump is actually bringing down drug prices.) The KFF poll found that MAHA parents are most concerned about ultra-processed foods, which should fit right into Kennedy’s real food campaign that I wrote about last week. Except, for all his talk about going after food manufacturers who put toxins in our food, the FDA eased regulations on the phrase “no artificial colors” earlier this month. This means more food products are eligible to make this “see, we’re healthy” pledge. It’s also likely to help the food industry’s defense of ongoing court cases alleging companies lied about artificial colors in the past. This is not what MAHA expected from their ice-bath-plunging, raw-milk-drinking cult leader. But this decision isn’t why MAHA moms are rips**t angry at Bobby this week. For that we turn to glyphosate. Perhaps you know it by another name: Roundup. The weed killer may be enemy number one for the MAHA coalition. Activist moms have been running campaigns to get retailers to take it off the shelves because of its cancer-causing properties for years. Bobby was all in on this. In 2018, he helped win a $289 million settlement jury award against Roundup’s maker, Monsanto, which is now owned by Bayer. Then last week, Trump issued an executive order to increase domestic production of glyphosate saying it was necessary to protect our food production. MAHA feels betrayed. Betrayed, I tell you. Alex Clark, a health and wellness podcaster for Turning Point USA, told the New York Times, “Women feel like they were lied to, that the MAHA movement is a sham. How am I supposed to rally these women to vote red in the midterms? How can we win their trust back? I am unsure if we can.” Umm, duh. What the f**k did they expect from the President who doesn’t believe that using hairspray inside his apartment could possibly affect the outside air and thinks windmills cause cancer? Environmental policies based on science? And what did they expect from a movement leader who offered his services and his supporters to whichever presidential candidate bit first? Loyalty to people or issues? I don’t feel bad blaming the victims here because we’re all victims of their terrible political calculus. And I don’t feel bad for Bobby, despite the fact that he was forced to take to social media and genuflect to Trump’s decision. According to some officials who spoke to POLITICO off the record, Kennedy is being put on a much shorter leash at least until the midterms. As one official put it, “I think we’re largely done with vaccines. I think the food stuff, we’re just beginning to kind of get into more. When you look at what’s keeping America unhealthy, it largely has to do with obesity and diabetes and heart disease and other very diet-driven and lifestyle-driven issues.” While I would love to see Bobby sidelined, this is cold comfort. For one thing, the damage is done when it comes to vaccines. The schedule is changed, parents are confused, and measles is rampant (see the first story below). For another, there is a lot of damage that can be done around “food stuff” if Kennedy sticks to his mantras of personal choice and personal responsibility. Not all people have the time to ride an exercise bike topless and not all of them have the money to eat real food (especially with the cuts to SNAP benefits that the Trump Administration has made). Also, who the f**k is Kennedy to tell us to make good personal choices. Just last week he bragged about snorting coke off of a toilet seat. He took his grandchildren swimming in raw sewage. And then there’s the bear. March for Life Becomes Measles Superspreader EventThe Venn diagram of people who rally against women’s rights to control their own bodies and those who argue vigorously that they should have the right to control their own bodies by never getting a vaccine is, not surprisingly, a perfect circle. So it’s also not surprising that the National March for Life rally and concert, which took place on the National Mall at the end of January, appears to have been attended by a bunch of out-of-towners with the measles. The DC Department of Health said it had been notified of “multiple confirmed cases of measles whose carriers visited multiple locations in the District while contagious.” The infected individuals may have spread their germs to fellow travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Amtrak’s Union Station, and on the DC metro system. The infected individuals also visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Catholic University. Remember, measles droplets stay suspended in the air for up to two hours after the infected person leaves the room. One contagious person can infect 12 to 18 people. Vaccinated people are safe, and the spread can be contained by masking up. Wait, what was I thinking? The masks-are-a-violation-of-my-personal-freedom crowd sits inside that same perfect-circle Venn diagram. New Ringworm Outbreak in MinnesotaRingworm isn’t a worm, and it isn’t usually an STI. It’s a fungal infection that causes a ring-shape rash that is often red, itchy, and scaly at the center. Ringworm can appear on any skin but often occurs on the scalp, on the feet (think athlete’s foot), or in the groin area (think jock itch). Since 2024, however, there’s a new type circulating in the United States caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII. (If I didn’t know that it was a fungus, I would have assumed it was a giant robot, especially because it’s nicknamed TMVII or “TM Seven” when said out loud.) TMVII causes round rashes on the arms, buttocks, trunk, genitals, and legs. Like other forms of ringworm, it is spread through skin-to-skin contact or on surfaces. Unlike others, this one is primarily associated with sexual activity. Cases thus far have mostly occurred in men who have sex with men. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says it has identified 13 confirmed cases and 27 additional suspected cases of TMVII in the Twin Cities area. MDH credits “astute clinicians” for recognizing the infections which are often mistaken for other skin conditions like eczema and for contacting the public health officials immediately. MDH is advising people who have rashes to seek treatment and asking clinicians to be on the lookout for rashes that might be TMVII. Infections are treatable with oral antifungal medications but can be persistent; patients may need to be on the medication for three months. Public health officials are also reminding patients that the infection is very contagious. Anyone who has or suspects they have it should inform their sexual partners, avoid skin-to-skin contact, and not share clothing, towels, or bedding. Female Tortoises Walk off Cliffs to Escape Male Sexual AggressionAfter 16 years of studying Hermaan tortoises on an uninhabited island in North Macedonia, scientists realized that the relentless sexual aggression of males is killing females and likely leading to extinction of the species. (I’m pretty sure there’s a lesson in here for the manosphere. )
The ratio of males to females among the 1,000 tortoises on the island is about nineteen to one. Scientists don’t know why this is, but they have observed what it means for mating rituals. Multiple males pile on top of one female like a train, humping each other while waiting for their turn. Males will “bump, bite (sometimes to the point of blood loss), mount, and finally vigorously poke fleeing females” with a sharp tail tip. The researchers found that three-quarters of the island’s females had genital injuries. Female tortoises can store sperm for up to three years and use it to get pregnant on their schedule, but these gals aren’t having it. X-rays revealed that only 15% of the females carried any eggs. This is in sharp contrast to Hermaan tortoises on the mainland, most of whom were pregnant. Even more disturbing, an experiment confirmed the researchers’ suspicions that females were deliberately walking off the cliffs of the island to their deaths in order to avoid male advances. Once again, men behave badly, and women suffer. Sex on Wednesday is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Sex on Wednesday that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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It's Enough to Drive A Turtle Off A Cliff
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