Your BRIGHT Week in Review

Plus: Dinner and a Movie

ICYMI

U.S. Halts COVID Shot Recommendations for Kids and Pregnant Women

Reuters reported the U.S. has removed COVID-19 vaccines from its routine immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, bypassing the CDC’s advisory committee process. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alongside FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, announced the change, saying there’s no evidence to support routine shots for these groups.

Just the News reported:

In a video on his X profile with National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, Kennedy faulted the Biden administration for urging healthy kids to get "yet another COVID shot despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children."

"It's common sense and it's good science" to change the recommendations, Bhattacharya said, while Makary emphasized "most countries have stopped recommending it for children."

Kennedy said the country is "now one step closer to realizing" President Trump's Make America Healthy Again promise.

Critics say the decision overturns standard procedure and may invite legal challenges. Supporters argue the virus poses less risk to young children and pregnant women now. Reuters noted, “Insurers said they are reviewing the regulatory guidance to determine their policies, which typically follow the ACIP recommendations.”

Weak and Woke

Former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel criticized the Democratic Party as “weak and woke” in a Wall Street Journal interview, calling its brand “toxic.” Who knew Rahm and I could agree on something? The Daily Caller reported the remarks come after growing speculation that Rahm may enter the 2028 presidential race or run for Illinois governor in 2026. Rahm, also a former Chicago mayor and recent U.S. ambassador to Japan, expressed frustration with the party’s direction, urging Democrats to focus on tangible issues like the affordability of the American dream rather than just opposing Trump.

He’s running.

DOGE Bites Congress

Fox News reported Elon Musk criticized the newly passed GOP spending bill, calling it disappointing and counterproductive to the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to reduce wasteful spending. The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed the House by a narrow 215–214 vote, includes tax cuts and aims to trim $1.5 trillion in spending. Musk, who stepped back from DOGE leadership, warned it increases the budget deficit and undermines fiscal reform. While House Republicans celebrated the bill as a Trump campaign win, Democrats and some GOP members opposed it. The Senate must still pass its version before it reaches Trump’s desk.

In separate coverage, Fox News highlighted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also criticizing Congress for failing to act on Elon Musk’s DOGE cost-cutting proposals, despite widespread public support. DeSantis said, “To see Republicans in Congress cast aside any meaningful spending reductions... is demoralizing.”

DeSantis touted Florida’s success, noting his administration cut 41% of state debt and reduced the average Floridian’s share to $400, compared to $105,000 federally. “We’re in the end of May... and not one cent in DOGE cuts have been implemented,” he said.

As public outrage swelled early this week, it was reported on Wednesday by Politico that the White House is responding:

The $9.4 billion package set to land on Capitol Hill reflects only a fraction of the DOGE cuts, which have already fallen far short of Musk’s multi-trillion-dollar aspirations. The two Republicans said it will target NPR and PBS, as well as foreign aid agencies that have already been gutted by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Speaker Mike Johnson said on X Wednesday that the House “is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings so we can deliver even more cuts to big government that President Trump wants and the American people demand.” He said the House “will act quickly” on a package without saying when it might be submitted or what it might contain.

RFK Jr. Releases MAHA Report

CBS News reported the MAHA report, led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., identifies four main drivers behind rising childhood chronic disease: ultra-processed diets, chemical exposures (like pesticides and plastics), lack of physical activity and stress, and what it calls “overmedicalization,” including overuse of prescriptions and vaccines. The report also questions long-term effects of medications like GLP-1 drugs on children and the expanding childhood vaccine schedule. A policy roadmap is due by August under Trump’s directive. Read the full report here.

Study Finds Weight Loss in Middle-Aged Adults Tied to Lower Risk of Chronic Disease and Early Death

A new study published in JAMA Network Open shows that middle-aged adults who lose about 6.5% of their body weight without surgery or medication can gain long-term health benefits. “People who lost weight in midlife were less likely to experience heart attacks, strokes, cancer, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in their older years,” said lead author Dr. Timo Strandberg. CNN reported the study followed 23,000 participants over decades and found that weight loss through diet and exercise reduced the risk of chronic disease and death. Notably, this research predates the popularity of weight loss drugs, suggesting that behavioral changes alone were key. Dr. Aayush Visaria, unaffiliated with the study, noted, “Both weight loss and the behavioral changes behind it are often tied together in improving health.”

Dinner and a Movie

This week’s movie is another pick from Brett — Breaking Away (1979). Since it’s our anniversary weekend, I’ve been assured there’s some romance and the main character longs to be Italian. Works for me!

For dinner, I’ve been tagged in this recipe for Potato-Crusted Halibut. I better be getting flowers because beef tallow chips are expensive 😆

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