Politics

I try to avoid talking about politics here, but I have to say something abt this.

A new study shows that after Trump told pregnant women to skip Tylenol & pushed an unproven autism treatment, prescriptions surged and Tylenol use dropped — with no new evidence supporting either claim.

“It can take years, even decades, for high-quality research to reach clinicians. Here, it was done overnight. Unfortunately, they’re claiming breakthroughs that simply haven’t occurred.” — Dr. Jeremy Samuel Faust, Harvard Medical School

Please listen to your doctors, not a press conference—not even Trump himself.

It’s honestly alarming that the US withdrew from the WHO last month. They are already cutting 2,300 jobs by summer. We just stepped away from 70+ yrs of global flu tracking — our vaccines will feel it

“Global cooperation and communication are critical to keep our own citizens protected because germs do not respect borders.” — Infectious Diseases Society of America, January 2026

Expect real unpredictability ahead. China pledged $500M to fill the void — but it remains to be seen if that’s enough. Without the US, can the WHO still keep the world safe?

What’s with Trump’s obsession with slapping his name on builidngs? Kennedy Center, Institute of Peace, & he now wants airports named in his honor. It’s not normal to be named after a sitting president. What exactly has he accomplished for the country? All I see is chaos and distractions. 🙄

TrumpRX launched this week with discounts on prescription drugs—but it’s not the only game in town. GoodRX and Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs have been doing this for years. Good to have choices, though TrumpRX prices run higher than the other two. Read more here (NPR)

Gas dropped from $3.13 last year to $2.90 now. Thirteen cents. That’s what we’re celebrating? With all the talk about what Trump’s doing for prices, I expected more than pocket change. Not exactly the massive improvement promised. 😕

AAA Fuel Price

Published on Substack on 1/26/2026

The Americans with Disabilities Act will turn 36 later this year. In the last thirty-five years, there has been a requirement for accessible hotel accommodations. And yet, NPR just published an investigation showing that wheelchair users are still dealing with the same frustrating barriers that shouldn’t exist after three decades of the law being on the books.

NPR talked to 50 wheelchair users and surveyed over 200 more. The stories were depressingly familiar. You call ahead, you book an accessible room online, you show up… and there’s no reservation. Or the room’s been given away. Or—my personal favorite—the room exists, but it’s not actually accessible.