Bob Park’s What’s New: May 29, 2026

No, Bob Park — the physicist who wrote the What’s New newsletter for years — did not write this. Instead, I am imagining what Park would have said were he alive today. The opinions are mine and not necessarily those of Bob Park (but they should be).

What’s New, by Bob Park

Friday, May 29, 2026

1. MORE FIRINGS OF PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS

The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has fired John Wong and Esa Davis, the leaders of the U. S. Preventive Services Task Force. This group consists of external experts who determine which medical services are preventive and must be covered under the Affordable Care Act. The American Medical Association put out a statement, saying “Today’s changes were foreshadowed by the earlier dismantling of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). We strongly urge HHS to restore the USPSTF’s long-standing, transparent process for selecting members, specifically clinicians with expertise in the fields of preventive medicine and primary care. We also implore HHS to commit to once again holding regular Task Force meetings to ensure its important work can continue without further delay. Our patients’ lives depend on it.”

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2. NO CHILD DEATHS DEFINITIVELY LINKED TO COVID VACCINE

Six months ago, a Food and Drug Administration official, Vinay Prasad, claimed that at least ten child deaths were caused by the Covid vaccine. However, an FDA report released last week states that no child deaths are definitively linked to the vaccine. Five deaths were classified as “possible” but could also be explained by alternative causes. Two deaths are “probable” meaning they are unlikely to be explained by an alternative cause, but alternatives cannot be ruled out. The analysis was based on data submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which has limitations and cannot be used to determine causation. Prasad left the FDA in April.

3. UN VOTES 141–8 FOR CLIMATE RESOLUTION: US VOTES NO

Last week the United Nations voted 141–8 to adopt a resolution stating that countries have a legal obligation to address ‌climate change. The countries voting against the resolution were Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Yeman, and the United States. This landslide vote is based on the overwhelming scientific evidence confirming that climate change is caused by the burning of fossil fuels that release greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide. The vote is disturbing for American climate scientists whose work is often referred to as a “hoax” by members of the Trump administration. On the other hand, the vote does indicate that 95% of world governments realize the hazard posed by climate change. The UN has few ways to enforce this legal obligation. The American people must be the ones to decide if they will continue to reject science and ignore this resolution. The negative vote by the US is one more example of the Republican War on Science.

4. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BLOCKS INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION

One of the best parts of a career in science is collaborating with fellow scientists from other countries. According to an article in the magazine Science, such collaborations are now being discouraged by the federal government. “Grants managers at two of the U.S. government’s largest funders of scientific research have recently placed unprecedented limitations on the ability of U.S. scientists to publish with co-authors from other countries, researchers say. Units of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are privately directing grantees to request permission in advance for any co-authorship with a scholar affiliated with a foreign institution, even if all the work was done in the United States. NASA, meanwhile, is reportedly telling some grantees that papers co-authored with researchers in China may have violated its rules.” International scientific collaboration has a long history. Even during the Napoleonic wars, England and France continued cross-channel scientific collaboration. Sir Joesph Banks, the President of the Royal Society, lobbied the British government to release captured French scientists, return confiscated nature specimens, and exchange scientific periodicals. English scientist Sir Humphry Davy was allowed to travel to Paris to accept a prestigious scientific medal. Science is an international activity. Restrictions on foreign coauthors will simply make scientists from other countries reluctant to collaborate with Americans, which will hurt the US more than it will hurt other countries. Limiting international coauthors is a foolish and self-defeating policy, which will isolate American scientists from their international peers.