death
Amongst the most disturbing elements of the Epstein case was his vision for his New Mexico estate, Zorro Ranch, which he described to associates as a potential site for personal eugenics experiments. Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices – used, for instance, by the Nazis during the Third Reich – that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. According to multiple accounts, Epstein intended to impregnate numerous women with his sperm in order to propagate his DNA across generations – a plan he tended to frame in quasi-scientific language.
Epstein acquired Zorro Ranch in 1993 from the family of former New Mexico governor Bruce King. The property spans more than 7,000 acres south of Santa Fe and includes a roughly 26,000-square-foot mansion, a private airstrip, extensive underground areas, and numerous auxiliary buildings. Epstein reportedly referred to the property as a future “baby ranch,” telling some acquaintances that as many as 20 women could be housed there at a time. While there is no hard evidence that such a program was ever implemented, the idea itself is documented mainly in journalistic reporting and in recollections of those who knew him.
Survivors have long alleged that Zorro Ranch was a site of sexual abuse. Annie Farmer, the sister of Marie Farmer, stated that she was sexually abused by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a visit to the ranch in the mid-1990s. Virginia Giuffre has also said she experienced abuse connected to Epstein and his network there.
Epstein cultivated relationships with prominent scientists and intellectuals in fields including genetics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and physics, and he provided funding to several research institutions. In conversations, some of which were later reported by journalists, he expressed admiration for ideas associated with heredity, intelligence, and human enhancement. The New York Times reported that Epstein spoke explicitly about wanting to “seed the human race with his DNA”.
After Epstein’s death in 2019, federal authorities executed search warrants at several of his properties, but notably there was no FBI raid on Zorro Ranch. The absence of a comprehensive forensic search has remained a point of controversy. The ranch itself sat largely unused for several years. It was publicly listed in 2021, failed to sell at the asking prices reported at the time, and was ultimately sold at auction in August 2023 to San Rafael Ranch LLC for an undisclosed sum.
The buyer was later identified as members of the family of Don Huffines, a former Texas state senator and real-estate developer. The new owners renamed the property Rancho San Rafael and announced plans to convert it into a Christian retreat centre, installing religious signage at the entrance. The symbolic transformation of the site has drawn criticism from some survivors and advocates, who argue that the property’s past has not been adequately investigated.
In early 2026, the New Mexico Attorney General reopened an investigation into alleged crimes connected to the ranch, citing survivor testimony, newly reviewed records, and unresolved questions about prior law-enforcement inaction. Among the allegations under review are claims of long-concealed criminal activity on the property.
Yes, I have published another book!
It is about the Third Reich; more specifically, it is about Austria’s medical profession during that period. As the book is in German, allow me to translate the concluding chapter for readers who don’t speak this language:
“The revulsion at what … has happened cannot be put into words at all. One can only list the examples, as if they were entries in a catalogue, statistical data, items in a register. In a register of sins, in the register of mortal sins of a criminal regime. These are unprecedented examples. The murderers were animals who believed themselves to be human beings. The victims were human beings who were treated as animals.”
These words were written by Erich Kästner. Fearing for his life, he spent the final weeks of the Third Reich in hiding in Austria. He formulated these sentences after hearing, for the first time, the testimony of a survivor of a concentration camp.
My book is, in fact, something like a catalogue as well—a catalogue of biographical sketches of Austrian physicians, most of them psychiatrists, who became guilty in one way or another after the Anschluss. The spectrum of wrongdoing was wide.
Some never got their hands dirty themselves. They were merely “followers” or silent accomplices. Yet as fanatical Nazis, they still did their part to propagate National Socialist ideology. In doing so, they supported the crimes of others and contributed substantially to them, for example:
- Breitenecker
- Clara
- Grosser
- Haferl
- Hamperl
- Herbst
- Pichler
- Plattner
- Risak
- Werkgartner
Many of the physicians mentioned in this book abused people in concentration camps in ways worse than animals. Kästner remarked on this: “The camps resembled insane asylums—but in reverse, because it was not the inmates who were mad, but the staff,” for example:
- Begusch
- Beiglboeck
- Ehrenberger
- Eberl
- Fischer
- Frick
- Gross KJ
- Heim
- Joebstl
- Kahr
- Litschel
- Meyer
- Polzer
- Puhr
- Ramsauer
- Richter
- Thurnher
- Wodraska
Numerous physicians managed after the war to evade judicial prosecution or punishment to a large extent, for example:
- Asperger
- Berta
- Birkmayer
- Frick
- Gross KJ
- Hamburger
- Heim
- Hermann
- Hofmann
- Huebsch
- Kahr
- Kaufmann
- Korp
- Meyer
- Pernkopf
- Polzer
- Scharfetter
- Schicker
- Thums
- Thurnher
- Tropper
- E. Tuerk
- Uibarrak
- Utz
- Wodraska
- Vonbun
Some of the physicians discussed in my book were even able, after the end of the Third Reich, to pursue impressive medical careers, for example:
- Asperger
- Berta
- Birkmayer
- Gross H
- Hamperl
- Kaufmann
- Pischinger
- Thums
- Werkgartner
As has already been emphasized repeatedly in various chapters, the prosecution of the perpetrators was, at best, hesitant. After the war, Austria was keen to present itself as a victim; exposing Austrian citizens as accomplices did not serve this narrative. As a result, only a small number of guilty physicians were prosecuted and punished after the war, for example:
- Beiglboeck
- Czermak
- Ehrenberger
- Niedermoser
- Puhr
- Ramsauer
- Rolleder
- M. Tuerk
Some of the guilty physicians were apparently driven by feelings of guilt to evade justice through suicide, for example:
- De Crinis
- Eberl
- Eppinger
- Lonauer
- Richter
- Sorger
My lists are certainly incomplete. During my research, the names of Austrian physicians repeatedly emerged for whom at least suspicions of involvement in Nazi crimes exist. However, because I was able to find only fragmentary material, I refrained from discussing these individuals—whom I estimate to number at least 30 additional physicians—in my book. This, too, highlights the enormous need for further research.
During the Third Reich, around 800,000 people were imprisoned because of their opposition to National Socialism; approximately 90,000 of them perished as a result. Physicians, however, were only very rarely represented in the resistance.
At first glance, this may seem surprising. Physicians could have convincingly invoked their professional ethics to argue that cooperation was impossible. One could argue that doctors, like hardly any other professional group, had a duty to resist crimes against humanity. That this did not happen undoubtedly has complex reasons.
On the one hand, the medical profession already harbored a deeply rooted, strongly conservative tradition before 1933 that was sympathetic to National Socialism or at least not opposed to it. On the other hand, many physicians saw personal or professional advantages in Nazi ideology. Finally, one must consider how systematically, brutally, and ruthlessly the Nazis proceeded against opponents of the regime of all kinds.
It is not the aim of my book to pass judgment on the actions or inaction of physicians during the Third Reich. In my view, moralizing would be neither appropriate nor constructive. Rather, this book is an attempt to document and to understand. My intention is to raise awareness and to preserve the history of medicine in the Third Reich from oblivion. My hope is that remembering it will protect us from ever again embarking on similar paths of delusion.
To conclude, I quote Erich Kästner once more:
“The events from 1933 to 1945 should have been fought no later than 1928. After that, it was too late. One must not wait until the struggle for freedom is called treason. One must not wait until a snowball has turned into an avalanche. One must crush the rolling snowball. No one can stop the avalanche.”
Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder and predisposes patients to hemorrhagic complications following trauma or invasive procedures. Chiropractic spinal manipulation is widely used for musculoskeletal pain; however, serious complications have been reported, particularly in patients with underlying coagulopathies.
Iliopsoas hematoma with secondary femoral neuropathy is an uncommon but potentially disabling condition. A team of US doctors present a clinical case highlighting this rare complication following chiropractic manipulation in a patient with VWD and review the relevant literature. They describe the clinical course and follow-up of a 32-year-old female patient with known VWD who developed acute neurological deficits after chiropractic manipulation. Imaging findings were analyzed using radiographs, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Hematoma volume was calculated using the ABC/2 formula, which has been well validated and shows a high correlation with volumes calculated using planimetric techniques.
After chiropractic manipulation, the patient developed severe lumbar and inguinal pain, followed by progressive weakness and sensory impairment of the left lower limb. Imaging revealed a large left iliopsoas hematoma measuring approximately 896 cc, causing femoral nerve compression. Management included coagulation factor replacement, pain control, and interventional radiology-guided drainage, resulting in significant hematoma reduction and neurological improvement. At the six-month follow-up, residual neuropathy and muscle atrophy persisted, although functional recovery was evident.
The uthors concluded that patients with VWD are at high risk for severe hemorrhagic complications even after seemingly minor manipulative therapies. Chiropractic spinal manipulation may precipitate life-threatening or disabling bleeding events in this population. Early recognition, appropriate imaging, correction of the coagulopathy, and multidisciplinary management are crucial to optimize outcomes. This case highlights the importance of patient counseling, risk stratification, and caution when considering alternative therapies in individuals with inherited bleeding disorders.
The list of complications, including fatal ones, after chiropractic manipulations is long – very long. That they can cause iliopsoas hematoma with secondary femoral neuropathy was new to me. The lesson here seems relatively simple: if you have a bleeding abnormality, avoid chiropractic manipulations at all costs!
This, of course, raises an interesting question:
Considering that ~25% of the general population have some sort of clotting abnormality, do chiropractors routinely check whether their pations have normal blood clotting?
Somehow, I doubt it.
We have frequently discussed the fact that acupuncture, while often promoted as safe, can cause serious harm, including deaths, e.g.:
- Another death by acupuncture
- Death by acupuncture
- Football star, Ellen White, suffered a pneumothorax caused by acupuncture
- Acupuncture: much more than meets the eye!
- Acupuncture for stable angina pectoris… yes, if you aim at killing millions!
- Acupuncture: a treatment to die for?
- How many fatalities has acupuncture caused? And are acupuncturists in denial?
Now, an unusual fatality has been reported. A team of Chinese researchers published the case of a young man who died suddenly after receiving acupuncture treatment. Autopsy revealed multiple needlestick wounds in both lungs, liver, and spleen, leading to traumatic pneumothorax and hemoperitoneum. The man ultimately died of respiratory failure.
Notably, the case documentation mentioned only dorsal acupuncture. However, during the autopsy, the authors discovered additional puncture sites in the bilateral lateral regions, with dimensional discrepancies compared to the dorsal needlestick. They hypothesized that these discrepancies were caused by the use of needles of varying sizes and raised reasonable suspicion of multiple perpetrators. A subsequent law enforcement investigation confirmed that the man’s dorsal and lateral acupuncture were performed separately by a masseur at a private clinic and by his partner. A detailed analysis clarified how injuries to different anatomical regions contributed to the fatal outcome, providing a foundation for legal accountability.
The uniqueness of this case lies in the involvement of multiple suspects, multiple organ injuries, and unlicensed medical practice. This case not only enriches the report on adverse events associated with acupuncture but also highlights the critical importance of meticulous forensic examination and comprehensive case investigation.
The authors stress that improper practices may lead to adverse events. This case involves issues of unlicensed medical practice leading to death, multiple organ injuries, multiple suspects (including one who is the decedent’s partner), and the division of responsibility. It highlights that even minor puncture injuries can result in serious damage, serving as a warning that meticulous and comprehensive forensic examinations, along with the independent analytical skills, are crucial for uncovering key information that may be easily overlooked. These abilities enable timely provision of clues to the police, bringing the case closer to the truth.
I would add that the paper clearly demonstrates that not only acupuncture but also the acupuncturist can cause severe harm, particularly when he/she is poorly or not at all trained.
This case report details the death of a 59-year-old woman who succumbed to complications from lead poisoning (cerebral edema and encephalopathy) following the use of an herbal cream to treat hemorrhoids.
The patient with a past medical history of prediabetes was admitted to the emergency department after her husband found her experiencing seizure-like activity that morning. She had been in normal health the previous night, but suffered another seizure in the emergency department that lasted about three minutes and was subsequently started on Levetiracetam. During her most recent physical exam one week ago, her lab workup prompted a follow-up with
hematology due to anemia of unknown etiology. This time, her laboratory results indicated an elevated lactate level of 9.3 mmol/L, and her urine drug screen was negative. Additional labs showed elevations in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) while her complete blood count still showed signs of anemia.
During her hospital stay, the patient developed neurogenic shock and diabetes insipidus. On the fourth day, a serum lead level drawn on the second day returned, showing a level greater than 200 µg/dL Physicians considered various potential sources of her lead exposure, including environmental or occupational contact, accidental ingestion or inhalation of lead particles, unregulated imported cosmetics, or contaminated herbal supplements.
After asking about her use of herbal medications, suspicion arose around a hemorrhoid ointment that the patient had recently purchased from Vietnam through a Facebook advertisement. Consequently, chelation therapy with oral succimer and a continuous infusion of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
was immediately initiated.
Cao Bôi Trĩ Cây Thầu Dầu (Castor Oil Hemorrhoid Extract) was promoted for the treatment of hemorrhoids via intra-rectal application . Testing by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) revealed that the hemorrhoid ointment contained 4% lead (39,000 ppm), a highly lethal concentration. Even minimal lead exposure can be harmful and potentially lead to illness or death; thus, it is advised to avoid products likely to contain lead, especially imported items from other countries with inadequate lead testing standards.
As the patient’s condition continued to deteriorate, concerns for brain death arose. After being informed, the patient’s family consented to proceed with brain death testing. A second exam and a nuclear medicine (NM) brain perfusion scan were completed on the eighth day and it shows the absence of brain perfusion. Despite aggressive management, including seizure control, treatment of cerebral edema, and chelation for severe lead poisoning, the patient passed away on the eighth day due to acute neurological complications from severe lead toxicity complicated by cerebral edema.
As we have often discussed, so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs) can often be contaminated with harmful substances including heavy metals such as lead, e.g.:
- Heavy metal poisoning as a result of using Ayurvedic remedies
- If you ask me, Chinese herbal medicines are best avoided
- Death by homeopathy
- Inadequate regulation of Kratom supplements put consumers at risk
- Another death by homeopathy
- Ayurvedic medicines to die for
- Lead and arsenic intoxications due to ‘natural health products’
- How safe are herbal medicines?
- Ayurvedic medicines: efficacy doubtful with considerable risks
- Contamination and adulteration of herbal remedies
- Another death caused by ‘traditional wisdom’
This case underscores the urgent need for stricter regulations and oversight in the herbal medicine industry to prevent such health hazards. Implementing stronger regulatory measures is essential to ensure that all medicinal and cosmetic products are free from harmful contaminants and to safeguard public health against the significant risks associated with SCAMs.
The US stands on the precipice of the destruction of public health. This might be best exemplified by the loss of its measles-free status. In 2000, the U.S. had been classified as having “eliminated” measles, meaning the virus was no longer constantly circulating within its borders. Following a year of record-breaking outbreaks, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is now reviewing whether to officially revoke this status.
The technical definition of losing elimination status is the continuous transmission of the same strain of a virus for more than 12 months. In 2025, the US experienced over 2,400 confirmed cases—the highest count since 1991—driven by major outbreaks in Texas, South Carolina, Arizona, and Utah. While health officials once relied on high vaccination rates to “wall off” imported cases, that protection has now crumbled. National MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination rates for kindergartners have fallen below the 95% threshold required for achieving herd immunity. This leaves communities vulnerable to the kind of rapid spread seen over the past year.
The resurgence of measles is inextricably linked to the shift in federal health policy under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). His influence has transformed vaccine hesitancy in the US from a fringe movement into a pillar of federal discourse. Kennedy has frequently misused his position to question the safety and necessity of the MMR vaccine, at one point suggesting that “natural infection” might be preferable to vaccination—a claim experts call dangerously misleading given that measles can cause encephalitis, permanent hearing loss, and death. Under Kennedy’s leadership, the CDC has been staffed with notorious anti-vaxers and reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines and emphasized “personal choice” over community mandates. This shift has emboldened several states to loosen school entry requirements, leading to a record number of non-medical vaccine exemptions. By replacing members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) with anti-vaxers, Kennedy has signaled a move away from the decades of scientific consensus that underpinned the 2000 elimination achievement.
Kennedy – who has no medical background and does clearly not understand science – argues that the primary threat to US health is not infectious disease but chronic illness (e.g., diabetes, obesity, and autism), which he feels are linked to environmental factors and food quality. His alternatives include advocating for “real food,” reducing ultra-processed foods, and discouraging the use of seed oils and certain pesticides. He has promoted the consumption of unpasteurized dairy, despite warnings from health officials regarding bacterial risks. He advocates for ending water fluoridation, claiming it contributes to chronic health issues in children. Kennedy also believes that “natural infection” – contracting the disease itself – can be a preferable alternative to vaccination for certain illnesses. He has expressed his support for un- or disproven treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin for viral infections, as well as the use of psychedelics and stem cells in broader health contexts. His MAHA plan promotes a “holistic” approach that combines conventional medicine withhis complementary therapies like supplements and acupuncture.
To make matters even worse, the US officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 22, 2026. This finalized a process that began on January 20, 2025, when Trump signed Executive Order 14155 on his first day in office. His previous attempt during his 1st term to leave the WHO was reversed by the Biden administration in 2021.
Losing measles-free status is more than a symbolic blow; it has practical and dire consequences. It signals to the world that the US public health infrastructure is failing to contain one of the most contagious diseases known to man. It means that “rare” outbreaks will become a permanent fixture of American life, requiring constant vigilance for infants too young to be vaccinated and the immunocompromised. And it bodes badly, of course, for the time when the next pandemic will emerge.
As the CDC completes its genomic sequencing to determine if the 2025 outbreaks constitute a single, unbroken chain of transmission, the US faces a choice. We are witnessing a “natural experiment” in real-time—one where the cost of Kennedy’s sick ideology is being paid in the form of preventable hospitalizations and lives lost. To put it bluntly: either the US gets rid of Kennedy and swiftly reverses his detrimental initiatives, or many US citizens will suffer ill health and even die because of his actions.
A recent BMJ letter to the editor is so brilliant that I should show you a few sections from it:
… Whether Trump’s regime is fascist can be endlessly debated, but if you check it against the 14 characteristics of fascism described by the political scientist Lawrence Britt after analysis of seven fascist regimes it scores high. One of the characteristics is a tendency “to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested.”
… Michael H Kater, the German-Canadian historian of Nazism, writes that “As physicians became Nazified more thoroughly and much sooner than any other profession, and as Nazis they did more in the service of the nefarious regime than any of their extraprofessional peers.”
German doctors after the war unsurprisingly argued that what had happened was the result of a few rogue doctors, but the American psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton argues in his book The Nazi Doctors that “as a profession German physicians offered themselves to the regime. So also did most other professions; but with doctors, that gift included using their intellectual authority to justify and carry out medicalized killing,” which meant “practicing therapy via mass murder.” …
There is an entirely understandable tendency to think that there is no parallel between what happened in the German in the ’30s and what is happening in America today, but the American Nobel prize-winner Paul Krugman writes this week: “We should be clear about what is happening. American fascism is on the march.”
Leaders in American medicine must stand up to the Trump regime, which will not be easy. Yamey and Shaffer describe how “Many physicians are now pushing back but how “a stronger and more powerful movement is sorely needed.” Now is the time to stand up before it becomes too late, as happened with the German medical profession.
These thoughts align closely with what I have been working on during the last 2 years or so (see here and here, for instance). I thank Richard Smith, the author of the above lines and former BMJ editor, for articulating our concerns so eloquently.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has, for many years, promoted claims that contradict established scientific consensus and common sense. Although he often frames his arguments as skepticism towards ‘the establishment’, his positions consistently conflict with the findings of sound science. This has led to widespread criticism from skeptics, scientists, physicians, and public health officials who argue that his rhetoric is steeped in misinformation.
The most prominent example is his long-standing insistence that vaccines cause autism, a claim that has been exhaustively studied and repeatedly disproven. Extensive epidemiological research involving millions of children across multiple countries has found no causal link between vaccination and autism, a conclusion affirmed by organizations such as the CDC and the WHO.
Kennedy has also continued to emphasize theories about mercury-based vaccine preservatives long after those substances were removed from most childhood vaccines, despite autism diagnosis rates continuing to rise—an outcome that directly contradicts his hypothesis and is not supported by sound evidence.
Recently his rejection of scientific consensus also expanded into the COVID-19 era. He characterized COVID vaccines as uniquely dangerous, suggested they could alter human DNA, and implied that public health agencies were concealing mass harm. These claims stand in overt contrast to real-world data from billions of administered doses, which show that serious adverse effects are rare and that vaccination dramatically reduces severe illness and death.
Similar patterns of misinformation appear in his claims about wireless technologies like 5G, which he has linked to immune suppression or cancer despite the well-established fact that such signals are non-ionizing and incapable of damaging DNA.
Underlying many of Kennedy’s positions is a recurring narrative that modern disease is primarily driven by hidden toxins and that public health institutions knowingly suppress cures or evidence of harm. While environmental exposures are a legitimate area of scientific study, Kennedy’s sweeping conclusions – often paired with sympathy for “detox” or so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) – go far beyond what evidence supports.
In conclusion, Kennedy erodes trust in medicine and science, replacing science with insinuations and conspiracy theories. The outcome of his ‘war on science’ has been a normalization of falsehoods that have been tested, rejected, and shown to be harmful. In a nutshell: Kennedy is a danger to all our health and well-being. The sooner he is replaced, the better for science, progress and global health.
Please allow me to deviate today from my usual agenda, i.e. so-called alternative medicine. I feel that I should write about the contribution of war to global warming which, in turn, will inevitably affect our health as individuals and our chances of survival as humans. 2025 was the third-warmest year on record; the global average temperature over the past three years has now surpassed 1.5 ℃ above pre-industrial levels — an increase that nations pledged in the 2015 Paris Agreement to prevent.
Recent research from organizations like the “Conflict and Environment Observatory” and “Scientists for Global Responsibility” has pioneered methodologies to quantify the effects of war on climate. The climate impact of war can be devided into three distinct categories:
1. Impact of Direct Military Operations
High-intensity combat involves massive amounts of jet fuel, diesel, and marine fuel. For example, a single F-35 fighter jet consumes roughly 5,600 liters of fuel per flight hour. In addition, supply chain emissions, i.e. producing weapons, ammunition, and moving supplies need to be considered. They account for the largest share of a military’s carbon footprint. Many countries do not disclose these data, making global calculations difficult.
2. Impact of Collateral Environmental Damage
Wars cause immediate, unintended releases of greenhouse gases through the destruction of carbon-storing infrastructure and landscapes. Shelling often causes massive fires in forests, wetlands, and industrial sites. For instance, in the first two years of the war in Ukraine, wildfires caused by combat accounted for roughly 21% of the total conflict-related emissions. Strikes on oil refineries, gas pipelines, and power plants release methane and CO2 into the atmosphere. When airspace is closed due to conflict, civilian flights must take longer routes, burning significantly more fuel.
3. Impact of Post-War Reconstruction
The most significant long-term climate cost of war might be the carbon required to rebuild what was destroyed. Rebuilding cities requires vast quantities of cement and steel, two of the most carbon-polluting industries globally. Moving and processing millions of tonnes of rubble requires thousands of truck journeys and heavy machinery, all of which emit CO2.
These three types of impact add up and are huge: The total military activity is estimated at 5.5% of global emissions. In other words, if the world’s militaries were a country, they would be the 4th largest emitter, ranking after China, USA, and India.
So, cconventional wars warm the planet.
What about nuclear warfare?
Even worse, I’m afraid – but in the opposite direction!
Experts calculate that a large-scale nuclear war would cause so much soot and smoke. In turn, this would block the sunlight and thus lead to a “Nuclear Winter”. Global temperatures could then decrease by about 10 degrees Celsius or more in a matter of weeks. This effect would be profound and would quickly lead to mass starvation.
As so often, the conclusion is ‘disarmingly’ obvious:
STOP ALL WARS!
Obvious, yes.
Realistic?
No!
During the 1st year of his second presidency, Trump and his administration changed US science beyond recognition. Officials started instantly firing thousands of researchers and other government employees and cut billions of dollars of US support for global-health programmes, including dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID). They also arrested some scholars from outside the United States as they stepped up efforts to restrict entry into the country and free speech. The US government then took steps to exert total control over universities by withholding tens of billions of dollars in research grants.
These actions are part of a broader plan to bend science for political purposes. “The attack on science must be seen as one component of a larger attack on information, on facts, on independent analysis,” says John Holdren, a physicist at Harvard, “I think Trump sees science as the fortress of the opposition.”
Some people and institutions have fought the government over such changes. Harvard University sued the Trump administration after it cancelled billions of dollars in grants amid claims that Harvard had failed to combat campus antisemitism. Several lawsuits have been filed challenging both the administration’s firing of employees and its cancellation of grants. Climate scientists pushed back against the administration’s efforts to deny the threat of global warming. And six former surgeons general who served during both Republican and Democrat administrations published an article in The Washington Post criticizing Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They wrote that he was “endangering the health of the nation” by amplifying misinformation and undermining public confidence in medicine and the very public-health agency that he oversees — the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest biomedical funder. “The consequences aren’t abstract,” the surgeons general wrote. “They are measured in lives lost, disease outbreaks and an erosion of public trust that will take years to rebuild.”
Now we are all bracing ourselves for what 2026 might bring. I say “we” because Trump’s destruction of science is not just an American calamity, it will have effects across the globe.
