How many divisions does the Supreme Court have? (Do Not Resuscitate #386) Mar 21 2025

This gory details are impossible to cover adequately, so I’m looking at broader trends as Musk's teenagers wreak havoc in the nation's institutions. It's not clear if anyone can slow them down. Democrat leadership is supine, and while federal judges are demanding some attention to legality due process, Trump is creeping ever closer to open defiance. 

Here are links to all the articles mentioned: 

Frank Thorp V, Sahil Kapur & Ryan Nobles, “Chuck Schumer postpones book events due to ‘security concerns’ amid Democratic backlash over shutdown fight,” NBC News, Mar 17, 2025 https://bit.ly/4bXN2wa

Jeff Stein, “Funding bill grants Trump, Musk more control over federal spending,” Washington Post, Mar 14, 2025 https://bit.ly/41XbHfS

“Trump’s War on Healthcare: Public Health Watch,” Protect Our Care, Mar 17, 2025 https://www.protectourcare.org/trumps-war-on-health-care-public-health-watch-2/

Sarah Wetter & Lawrence O. Gostin, “Are President Trump’s executive orders on health legal?” MedPage Today, Mar 6, 2025 https://bit.ly/4kyjqtl  

O. Rose Broderick, “‘Deliberate trauma’: SAMHSA employees detail a federal agency in shambles,” STAT, Mar 12, 2025 https://bit.ly/4im2FA3

Vittoria Elliott, “‘It’s a heist’: Real federal auditors are horrified by DOGE,” Wired, Mar 18, 2025 https://bit.ly/4kycY5L

Jeffrey Okoro, “I’m head of an NGO in Kenya. The shutoff of USAID support has been devastating,” STAT, Mar 15, 2025 https://bit.ly/3DMRAZU

Arthur Caplan & Lisa Kearns, “Who will volunteer for clinical trials now?” MedPage Today, Mar 12, 2025 https://bit.ly/3DSvOE3

Arielle Kane, “My firing represents the death of public service,” MedPage Today, Mar 7, 2025 https://bit.ly/41X1HU7

Sharon Lerner, “Industry-backed bills would bar use of science behind many environmental protections,” MedPage Today, Mar 9, 2025 https://bit.ly/42dtT69

Jonel Aleccia, “RFK Jr. and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists,” Associated Press, Mar 8, 2025 https://bit.ly/43WhLaZ

“RFK Jr. says federal vaccine advisers are beholden to industry. The evidence does not support him,” Science, Mar 7, 2025 https://bit.ly/4iohFgP

John Wilkerson, “CDC’s reported study on vaccines and autism could test RFK Jr.’s pledges to a key senator,” STAT, Mar 12, 2025 https://bit.ly/4iBcVUR

Pooja Salhotra, “With crumbling public health infrastructure, rural Texas scrambles to respond to measles,” Texas Tribune, Mar 10, 2025 https://bit.ly/3E3BStg

Pamela Ferdinand, “Glyphosate poses widespread risks to female fertility and reproductive health, researchers say,” U.S. Right To Know, Mar 15, 2025 https://bit.ly/3FDm9BH

Michael Waterbury, “Health plans need to take accountability for a broken system,” STAT, March 4, 2025 https://bit.ly/4hH7m6j

Ruth Rosenthal & Casey Chiappetta, “Medical debt reforms fall short without addressing consumer debt litigation,” Pew Charitable Trust, Feb 27, 2025 https://bit.ly/4iEMEVN

Lisa Bohman Egbert, “Why I closed my OB-GYN practice in Ohio after 27 years,” STAT, Mar 11, 2025 https://bit.ly/4ifTa5x

Noam N. Levey, “Republicans once wanted government out of healthcare. Trump voters are different,” KFF Health News, Mar 2, 2025 https://bit.ly/4ifYplL

Yuki Noguchi, “She got her dream job at CDC back. But she's already moving on,” NPR, Mar 7, 2025 https://bit.ly/3RhMLuA

Matt Parr, “Stephen Feinberg’s Cerberus owned military contractor that paid millions to settle government fraud suits,” Private Equity Stakeholder Project, Dec 4, 2024 https://bit.ly/4ihN3h0

Maureen Tkacik & Teri Buhl, “A hospital empire is closing its doors—but the stock is on a tear,” American Prospect, Mar 18, 2025 https://bit.ly/4hnIG2J

You can also access the full archive of my weekly digests at www.nypan.org/single-payer-news